Who Should I Start? Ray Davis or Dylan Sampson

Saturday, August 9, 7:07 PM

With Buffalo Bills star running back James Cook staging a hold-in and unwilling to play Saturday, Ray Davis earned the start in the team's 34-25 preseason-opening loss to the New York Giants. Davis rushed for just seven yards on four attempts and caught one of two targets for another seven yards. As the Bills' emergency kicker, his most memorable highlight came on a successful extra-point attempt in the second quarter. The 5-foot-8, 220-pound Davis joined the Bills as a fourth-round pick from Kentucky in 2024 and was a capable reserve behind Cook as a rookie. Davis appeared in all 17 of the Bills' regular-season games and totaled 442 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 113 rushing attempts. He also caught three TDs and pulled in 17 of his 19 targets for 189 yards. With third-down back Ty Johnson also in the fold, Davis took around 25% of offensive snaps last season. That should be the case again in 2025, but Davis might have an expanded role early on if Cook is unavailable. While Cook seems unlikely to sit out into Week 1 over dissatisfaction with his contract, Davis figures to be the main beneficiary if he does. Cook missed one game last season, a 23-20 win over the New York Jets in Week 6, and Davis accrued 152 total yards (97 rushing, 55 receiving) on 23 touches as Buffalo's go-to back.

Sunday, August 24, 11:46 AM

Cleveland Browns rookie running back Dylan Sampson was the first running back on the field in his team's final preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams. Sampson got the first handoff of the game from starting quarterback Joe Flacco and finished his day with two carries for three yards and one reception for 14 yards. Veteran running back Jerome Ford split reps with Sampson during the team's second offensive series. With running back Quinshon Judkins still unsigned following his offseason arrest, Sampson and Ford should be expected to share the Browns' backfield workload early in the season. If Sampson can emerge as the clear RB1 in Cleveland with a strong start to his rookie campaign, he could be a steal in the late rounds of fantasy drafts.