Who Should I Start? Ty Johnson or Dylan Sampson

BENCH

Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
4.9 13.2 0.1 1.2 11.9 0.1

Ty Johnson News

Ty Johnson Offers Little Fantasy Value in His Change-of-Pace Role

Sunday, July 26, 6:38 AM

Even as his teammate James Cook III has developed into one of the league's true bell cow runners, veteran running back Ty Johnson has maintained an important change-of-pace role, seeing at least 40 carries and 25 targets in each of the past two seasons. While Cook's spot atop the depth chart makes it difficult for any other Buffalo running back to accumulate stats, Johnson's comfort in the passing game could lead to limited fantasy viability should an injury force him into a larger role in 2026. That said, in such a scenario, it would likely be third-year back Ray Davis serving as more of a direct handcuff to Cook, making the soon-to-be-29-year-old Johnson difficult to trust even with a clearing ahead of him. With a lack of standalone value and no obvious path to a substantially increased workload, Johnson is not a player that fantasy drafters will need to consider in 2026.

START

Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
6.1 16.9 0.1 1.9 14.8 0.1

Dylan Sampson News

Dylan Sampson's Handcuff Case Is Not That Simple

Thursday, August 6, 10:13 AM

Cleveland Browns running back Dylan Sampson has a clear role behind Quinshon Judkins, but fantasy managers should not assume every Judkins touch would fall to him. Sampson was much better as a receiver than a runner during his rookie year, catching 33 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns while managing only 175 yards on 65 carries. Jerome Ford is gone, which leaves Sampson as the leading passing-down option in the backfield. That gives him some standalone value in deeper PPR leagues. The handcuff case is less straightforward. Judkins returned to full work during the offseason after recovering from a dislocated ankle and fractured fibula, and Cleveland still has 6-foot, 230-pound Raheim Sanders for heavier carries. The Browns also added fullback Michael Burton as Todd Monken installs more gap concepts and short-yardage looks. RotoBaller ranks Sampson RB53 in PPR and RB52 in half-PPR. He is worth a late pick in deeper formats, especially for managers looking for catches from the back end of the roster. Just do not draft him expecting a three-down role if Judkins misses time.

Ty Johnson vs. Dylan Sampson

Still trying to decide between Johnson and Sampson? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Ty Johnson is projected to score 4.9 points this week while Dylan Sampson is projected to score 6.1 points.