Who Should I Start? Trey Benson or Quinshon Judkins

Monday, March 3, 11:05 PM

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon has high hopes for running back Trey Benson as he heads into his second NFL season in 2025. James Conner re-signed with the Cardinals after posting a career-high 1,094 rushing yards in 16 starts in 2024, but Benson is expected to take on a bigger role and be more productive in Year 2. "If (Trey) takes the necessary jump from Year 1 to Year 2, I think we have two starting backs," Gannon said. "That's how I view those guys. You see certain teams out there with two '1s,' I would say, and I think we should have two '1s' next year." The 22-year-old Benson finished with only 291 rushing yards on 63 carries in his rookie season, but he was playing at his best when he injured his ankle late in the year. Benson's fantasy ceiling will be limited as long as Conner stays healthy in 2025, but fantasy managers that select Conner should look to handcuff him with Benson.

Saturday, May 31, 1:09 PM

The Athletic's Zac Jackson writes that Cleveland Browns rookie second-round running back Quinshon Judkins will get opportunities with the starters sooner than later. Judkins looks the part of an NFL back and is likely to be a big part of their offense after the 21-year-old was selected 36th overall in the second round this year out of Ohio State. He worked with the first-team and third-team offense during OTA practice on Wednesday. Jackson adds that if Judkins can win the starting job by October, the Browns could trade Jerome Ford, who is still the starting RB but is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Judkins may take a back seat to Ford to open the 2025 campaign, but he figures to be at least close to a full-time contributor by the end of his rookie season. The former Buckeye will command a lot of attention in fantasy in both redraft and dynasty/keeper leagues.