Having moved on from veteran rusher Nick Chubb, the Cleveland Browns revamped their backfield with two rookies – Dylan Sampson and Quinshon Judkins. Unfortunately, an off-field incident has led to Judkins remaining unsigned as we approach the start of the regular season.
That leaves Sampson competing with Jerome Ford for touches. Should fantasy football managers target the veteran?
Jerome Ford Fantasy Outlook
Judkins was supposed to be the Browns’ RB1 this year — he very well may still be — but as of the last week in August, he’s still not a member of the roster. Even if Judkins signs soon, he’s missed all of training camp. It will likely be weeks before he is game-ready, and then he will have to work his way up the depth chart into the lead back role.
We may not know for how long, but we know that Ford and Sampson will control this backfield to open the season. The Browns never intended for Ford to be their lead back, but each of the past two seasons, he’s had to take over for an injured Chubb. At the same time, the Browns told us exactly how they feel about Ford with their actions.
who was able to pick up jerome ford?! 🙋♂️ pic.twitter.com/4E4sJbsbVR
— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) September 24, 2023
First, they made it clear they intended to let Ford go. He only remained on the team because he agreed to a pay cut. Second, they drafted Judkins in the second round. Third, they drafted Sampson in the fourth round. Does this sound like a team fully confident in Ford?
The veteran status of Ford should make him the weekly starter, but the guy who takes the first snap isn’t important for fantasy. We want the guy who is going to play more and see the high-leverage touches.
Sampson actually started the Browns’ third preseason game, the only game where they played all of their starters. He and Ford had a mostly even rotation, with neither having a definitive role. That adds a layer of uncertainty. It also means the workload is wide open.
Ford feels like a safe, floor-based pick. He is one of those guys I describe as “won’t get you zero.” But will he be a difference maker on a weekly basis? Almost certainly not.
RELATED: Why Hasn’t Quinshon Judkins Signed With the Browns? Latest on Rookie RB’s Status for Week 1?
The Browns undoubtedly want Sampson to make himself undeniable. They know what Ford is. If they were happy with that as their main guy, they wouldn’t have forced him to take a pay cut to return to the team, nor would they have spent premium draft capital on two rookies.
Ford should still see a steady 10-12 touches per game, at worst. We have no insight as to which back will be the main guy at the goal line, or if there will even be one. For all we know, they could do what the Detroit Lions do and rotate it. Sampson and Ford could be a very light version of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.
What I mean by that is both will be startable in fantasy, but only as weak RB3/Flex plays. You can certainly do worse than Ford with a double-digit round selection. However, there’s not much upside in a committee Browns running back.
Ford is a fine pick, but he will not move the needle for your fantasy team. Only take him if you have a very volatile roster, or went with a hyper fragile/Zero RB team and desperately need a body who won’t get you zero.
