Who Should I Start? Trey Benson or Dylan Sampson

Thursday, February 26, 11:57 AM

Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson (knee) appeared to have a golden opportunity to emerge as a workhorse rusher once fellow Cardinals back James Conner (ankle) suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 3 of the 2025 season. Unfortunately, Benson suffered a knee injury the very next week that landed him on Injured Reserve and ultimately ended his year. A third-round pick in 2024, Benson has been an efficient rusher in a small sample through his first two NFL seasons, averaging 4.9 yards per rush attempt on 92 career carries. Provided Benson can get back to full health, 2026 may be the year that he emerges as the RB1 in Arizona. While Conner is technically under contract for 2026, Arizona could release him and save over $7 million against the cap this offseason. Even if Conner remains with the team, he will be in his age-31 season and coming off a serious ankle injury. At the same time, Benson remains a largely unproven player with durability concerns of his own, and the Cardinals will have a new coaching staff in place in 2026 that may be looking to add fresh blood in the backfield in either free agency or the upcoming draft. Still, Benson should have an opportunity to prove himself next season and could be a player worth targeting in dynasty formats, even coming off a lost year.

Wednesday, February 11, 9:49 AM

Cleveland Browns running back Dylan Sampson spent most of his rookie season as the team's primary receiving back, but following a late-season injury to fellow rookie Quinshon Judkins, he was given the opportunity to serve as Cleveland's lead back for the final two games of 2025. Unfortunately, playing behind an offensive line that struggled throughout the year to open running lanes or keep a revolving door of quarterbacks off the ground, he finished those two games with only 59 yards on 21 carries. With Judkins' status uncertain for the beginning of 2026, Sampson will likely get first crack at primary duties yet again, but unless Cleveland is able to drastically overhaul their offensive line in year one under new head coach Todd Monken, the bulk of his value will still come through his passing work. Sampson will look to improve on his 33 receptions as a rookie, but given his current surroundings, he is not a player who needs to be aggressively pursued.