Quinshon Judkins enters his second professional season recovering from a brutal dislocated ankle and fractured fibula suffered on Dec. 21 (Week 16) of his rookie campaign. While the late-season injury understandably gives fantasy football managers pause, his collegiate resume proves he is built for the long haul. With two collegiate seasons of over 280 touches logged, there is absolutely no doubt that his frame can confidently handle a massive, traditional workhorse role, something that is very much his to lose entering 2026.
Should You Draft Quinshon Judkins in Fantasy Football?
As of early September, the Cleveland Browns running back has an ADP of 46.6 in PFN’s Free Fantasy Mock Draft Simulator. PFN’s fantasy experts, Jason Katz and Kyle Soppe, aren’t quite as high on Judkins as the consensus seems to be, though. They have him as the 63rd-ranked overall fantasy player on their board. That’s RB23, all things considered, with a projected fantasy points per game of 12.43 in a PPR format.
There’s a little bit of risk that comes with Judkins. From an efficiency perspective, last season was not quite incredible. He only averaged 3.6 yards per carry. He missed 3 games. There was that ramp-up period where Judkins didn’t sign his contract until much later than the average draft pick from last year’s class. Then there was the whole debate over whether he was going to go back to Ohio State. That ended up not being the case.
Judkins had some flashes in fantasy football. He finished last year as RB26, all things considered, so 23 is at least a slight upgrade from where Katz and Soppe have him. But we’re not looking at whether you’d take him at the PFN rank. We’re looking at whether you’d take him at the ADP, and there’s definitely risk attached to it.
The Browns spent a lot of money on that offensive line. I don’t know about you, but I’m personally not all that sold that the offensive line is still going to be a strength. They’ve spent a lot of money, but you’re bringing in Zion Johnson, who was rocky. Elgton Jenkins is a solid player at center, but he still seems to be on the decline, all things considered. With Tytus Howard, you could argue his best football’s behind him as well. Spencer Fano is a very talented prospect coming out of Utah, but he’s switching from right tackle to left tackle, and there should be a learning curve there. There are a lot of questions around this Browns offense.
If you’re able to take Judkins around that late 50s, early 60s range, around where Katz and Soppe have him, I’d definitely take it. But at the ADP you’re looking at, there are other running backs you could get later. Take David Montgomery, for example. His ADP is 52.2. I feel a lot more comfortable with Montgomery being the lead back in Houston than I do with Judkins being the lead back in Cleveland.
All things considered, I would fade Judkins and say no to him in that 46.6 range. I think he has the potential to be a solid flex option. He could maybe crack an RB2 role, but there are a lot of questions, and I think there are a lot of really talented backs around the league who are going to take on decent roles in their respective NFL offenses. With all the questions around him, I am going to say no on Judkins at his current ADP of 46.6.
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Quinshon Judkins’ Week 1 Fantasy Outlook
Analysis provided by PFN Analyst Kyle Soppe.
The raw volume projection on Judkins gets him into the flex range, especially to open a season where there are a handful of ambiguous situations. He didn’t get much help as a rookie before the devastating injury, so I’m not holding his lack of efficiency (10.5% below expectations per touch) against him.
We don’t exactly know the impact of Deshaun Watson on this offense, and that introduces variance for all involved. Judkins caught at least 3 passes in 6 of his 14 games last season, and it feels as if that skill should be on display for a QB who is returning to competitive football for the first time since October of 2024.
Volume alone isn’t going to be enough to threaten my RB2 tier as we get going, but in September, it does. Start Judkins this week, understanding that his value can swing in either direction in short order.
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Where Judkins Ranks Among 2026 Running Backs
- D'Andre Swift | CHI
- Kyren Williams | LAR
- Cam Skattebo | NYG
- David Montgomery | HOU
- Bhayshul Tuten | JAX
- Quinshon Judkins | CLE
- Jadarian Price | SEA
- Bucky Irving | TB
- Jaylen Warren | PIT
- Rhamondre Stevenson | NE
- TreVeyon Henderson | NE
More rankings can be found in PFN's PPR Running Back Rankings.
