Who Should I Start? Ray Davis or Dylan Sampson

Friday, January 24, 10:48 PM

Buffalo Bills running back Ray Davis is an unreliable fantasy option heading into Sunday's AFC Championship against the Kansas City Chiefs. Splitting the backup role with Ty Johnson has been hard enough for Davis this year. Now, he has to split the backup role while also facing off against one of the NFL's best run defenses. The Chiefs have been lethal against running backs this year, allowing the third-fewest rushing yards, fifth-fewest catches, and fourth-fewest receiving yards to the position during the 2024 regular season. Furthermore, they didn't surrender a single receiving touchdown to running backs. In Bills-Chiefs during Week 11, Davis was highly efficient, tallying just 11 rushing yards on five carries. With Cook in the lead-back role and Johnson serving as a key weapon for Josh Allen in the passing game, Davis needs to make the most of his limited opportunities in Buffalo's backfield. That won't be easy this week against the Chiefs. Cook remains the top Bills running back in fantasy football, and Johnson currently ranks ahead of Davis, too.

Saturday, June 28, 11:38 AM

Cleveland Browns rookie fourth-round running back Dylan Sampson received work "as a running back and a receiver" during minicamp, according to RBs coach Duce Staley. Staley went on to add that Sampson "is able to go play in the slot and also he's able to go and play on third down and maybe sprinkle in a little second down." The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Dan Labbe thinks that heading into training camp, rookies Quinshon Judkins and Sampson figure to be the top two backs, with Jerome Ford serving as the primary third-down back. The 20-year-old Sampson rushed for 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns (5.8 yards per carry) in 2024 at Tennessee, but he wasn't all that involved as a pass-catcher. He's a speedy back that could be worth a dart throw in deep PPR formats, but most likely he'll be an inconsistent fantasy performer unless Judkins misses time with an injury.