Who Should I Start? Trey Benson or Dylan Sampson

Wednesday, December 10, 12:00 PM

Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson (knee) will not be activated off Injured Reserve for the team's Week 15 matchup against the Houston Texans, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Since Benson will not return within his 21-day activation window, he will revert to season-ending IR and will not be eligible to return in 2025. Benson suffered a knee injury in Week 4 that was serious enough to land him on IR, but was not thought at the time to be season-ending. It's unclear whether the 23-year-old suffered a setback once his activation window was opened, or if the 3-10 Cardinals are simply choosing to be cautious with their potential running back of the future. Either way, Benson should now be completely off the radar of redraft fantasy managers for the remainder of 2025. His absence ups the value of Cardinals running backs Bam Knight and Michael Carter, who should continue to see the majority of the team's backfield snaps. Emari Demercado (ankle) could play a role in Arizona as well once he returns from the ankle injury that has sidelined him since Week 11.

Thursday, December 11, 1:37 PM

Cleveland Browns rookie running back Dylan Sampson (calf, hand) is missing from practice on Thursday for a second straight day this week, according to ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi. The Browns placed RB Jerome Ford (shoulder) on season-ending Injured Reserve this week, so Cleveland's backfield could be thin behind rookie starter Quinshon Judkins on Sunday against the Chicago Bears if Sampson is unable to play. Raheim Sanders and Trayveon Williams would likely split backup duties behind Judkins if Sampson cannot go. Sampson, a fourth-round pick out of Tennessee, had five catches on six targets for a season-high 64 receiving yards in Sunday's loss to the Tennessee Titans, and he will have a bigger role in the Browns' backfield the rest of the year if he's healthy. He's worth stashing in PPR leagues despite his status being up in the air for Week 15.