Quinshon Judkins is one of the most difficult players to evaluate in fantasy football. He’s flashed high-end upside. However, his rookie season was largely unimpressive. He enters his sophomore season with uncertainty surrounding his health, role, and offense.
But he’s the clear starting running back who will see the lion’s share of touches. How can fantasy managers try to solve this puzzle?
Should You Draft Browns RB Quinshon Judkins in Fantasy Football?
Judkins’ rookie season got off to perhaps the most unconventional start in the history of football. Domestic violence allegations arose between the NFL Draft and the time at which rookies are typically signed to rosters. As a result, Judkins was drafted by the Browns, but remained unsigned all the way into September.
Ultimately, Judkins didn’t face charges and signed, but he missed all of OTAs and training camp. Even so, after making his debut in a limited role in Week 2, the Browns handed Judkins the keys to the backfield in Week 3.
Judkins wound up with one of the larger opportunity shares in the league at 67.3%. Unfortunately, that is pretty much where the positives end.
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Judkins’ 12.1 fantasy points per game wound up being a good outcome for fantasy managers. However, that was entirely due to his depressed price tag, which was a result of him remaining unsigned throughout fantasy draft season. Judkins probably would’ve been a fourth-round pick without the off-the-field issue, making his RB25 finish a bit disappointing.
On the field, Judkins was not particularly impressive. He averaged 3.6 yards per carry. Now, to be fair, the Browns’ offensive line graded out at No. 27 in PFN’s OL Impact Score. They gave Judkins just 1.27 yards per before contact per carry, which was 40th in the league among backs with at least 100 attempts.
Efficiency metrics are often linked to overall team performance, but it is still worth noting that Judkins wasn’t particularly effective at making defenders miss or creating yards, ranking 38th and 52nd in those categories, respectively.
Judkins is also not a plus in the passing game. Fellow rookie Dylan Sampson was one of the best receiving backs in the league last season and will reprise that role in 2026. Judkins did see an 8.3% target share, which is probably good enough, though.
The bulk of his production came from scoring 7 times, which is a pretty impressive number on an offense that only scored 26 touchdowns all season.
Judkins’ Redraft Fantasy Football Value
The upside case for Judkins is that he was a very good prospect who garnered early second-round draft capital. He came into his rookie season without any preparation with the team throughout the summer. All things considered, he played pretty well.
This year, the Browns have a new coaching staff and should have a better offensive line. If they can get passable quarterback play, Judkins has 300 touch upside and a monopoly on goal-line work. It’s not difficult to see how he could be a mid RB2 at worst. There are just a lot of ways it goes wrong.
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At the forefront of fantasy managers’ concerns is Judkins’ health. He broke his leg late in his rookie season. While this is not an injury that has ever placed a running back at risk of missing time the following season, we have seen it sap explosiveness the next year with the backs returning to pre-injury form the year after. Most recently, Tony Pollard and Isiah Pacheco fell victim to it.
The good news is Judkins is 22 years old. His body is far more equipped to recover quickly than anyone who has previously sustained a similar injury. By all accounts, he looked explosive at OTAs and confident making cuts off the injured leg. It stands to reason that by September, any mental blocks he might’ve had should be long put to rest.
That brings us to the next issue, which is the quarterback situation. Deshaun Watson is probably going to start in Week 1, which is more of an indictment on Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel than anything else. Watson has not even remotely resembled a capable NFL backup, let alone a starter, since 2020. It’s 2026.
Sanders is almost certainly going to make starts this season as well. If he falters, which is very likely, we may be looking at Taylen Green as the QB1 late in the season as Browns coaches use the opportunity to see what they have in the rookie. It’s not an ideal situation for a running back who relies on rushing volume and touchdowns to produce.
READ MORE: 2026 Controversial Fantasy Football Running Back Depth Charts: Who To Draft In These Confusing Rooms
With all that said, I do believe Judkins to be a talented runner. In the right environment, he has RB1 upside. He probably doesn’t have the right environment this season, but at an RB24 ADP, he doesn’t need it. He just needs to be a mid RB2 to be a worthwhile selection.
I have Judkins ranked as my RB21, which is right in line with his ADP. That area of fantasy drafts is ugly for running backs. Specifically, the RB20-27 range doesn’t feel meaningfully better than the RB28-RB40 range. Of course, we need to draft someone each round. If you need a running back in the area of the draft where Judkins goes, he’s probably a better bet than the older ones in that range with capped ceilings.
Preseason Fantasy RB Rankings
- Bijan Robinson | ATL
- Jahmyr Gibbs | DET
- James Cook III | BUF
- Jonathan Taylor | IND
- Ashton Jeanty | LV
- Christian McCaffrey | SF
- Saquon Barkley | PHI
- Chase Brown | CIN
- De’Von Achane | MIA
- Derrick Henry | BAL
- Kenneth Walker III | KC
- Jeremiyah Love | ARI
- Omarion Hampton | LAC
- Javonte Williams | DAL
- Breece Hall | NYJ
- Kyren Williams | LAR
- D’Andre Swift | CHI
- Travis Etienne Jr. | NO
- Josh Jacobs | GB
- Cam Skattebo | NYG
- David Montgomery | HOU
- Bhayshul Tuten | JAX
- TreVeyon Henderson | NE
- Quinshon Judkins | CLE
- Jaylen Warren | PIT
- Bucky Irving | TB
- Jadarian Price | SEA
- Rhamondre Stevenson | NE
- Chuba Hubbard | CAR
- Kenny Gainwell | TB
- Tony Pollard | TEN
- Jordan Mason | MIN
- Rico Dowdle | PIT
- Jacory Croskey-Merritt | WAS
- Blake Corum | LAR
- RJ Harvey | DEN
- Kyle Monangai | CHI
- Rachaad White | WAS
- Chris Rodriguez Jr. | JAX
- Zach Charbonnet | SEA
- Aaron Jones Sr. | MIN
- Jonathon Brooks | CAR
- J.K. Dobbins | DEN
- Tyler Allgeier | ARI
- Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG
- Isiah Pacheco | DET
- Woody Marks | HOU
- Tyjae Spears | TEN
- Nick Singleton | TEN
- Brian Robinson Jr. | ATL
