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Should I pickup Dylan Sampson or Jerome Ford as fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 9 of 2025? Read our fantasy football waiver wire outlooks.
Quinshon Judkins has proved to be an effective running back for the Cleveland Browns after missing most of training camp and Week 1.
A shoulder injury knocked him out of the game against the New England Patriots last weekend, and now it's uncertain when he will be back.
If Judkins misses time, which Browns running back will take over the backfield? Will it be Dylan Sampson or Jerome Ford? Let's dive in.
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Dylan Sampson Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlook
The Browns drafted Sampson in the fourth round this past year after selecting Judkins in the second round. Sampson was extremely productive at the University of Tennessee.
Last season, his junior year, he led the SEC in rushing attempts, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns. He wasn't just a product of high volume. He also finished fifth in the SEC in yards per attempt in 2024 and seventh in 2023.
Sampson's skill set, which let him dominate in college, has not yet translated at the professional level. In the first eight games of the season, he has gained just 51 yards on 28 attempts (1.8 yards per attempt). That makes him the only running back in the league with over 20 carries to average fewer than 2.0 yards per attempt.
Sampson is ahead of Ford on the depth chart. After Judkins left the field, Sampson played 19 of the 27 running back snaps. He figures to be the lead back if Judkins misses time. Ford will be on the field in obvious passing situations.
Jerome Ford Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlook
Ford has been a useful backup in his four seasons since being drafted by the Browns in the fifth round in 2022. When Nick Chubb got injured in 2023, Ford started 12 games and led the team in rushing with 813 yards.
Ford remained the starting running back for much of the first half of 2024 while Chubb was still rehabbing. He was efficient, averaging 5.4 yards per carry over the course of the season and creating successful plays 47.1% of the time.
Ford has never been a bellcow back. Even when he was listed as the starter in 2023 and 2024, he split carries with other backs, including Kareem Hunt, Pierre Strong, and D'Onta Foreman.
Ford seems more likely to be on the field in third-and-long situations. He's been targeted five times on third-and-ten or longer and twice on third downs with between four and nine yards to go.
Sampson, by contrast, has not been targeted at all on third-and-ten and only once when there were four to nine yards to go.
Should I Pickup Dylan Sampson or Jerome Ford For Fantasy Football?
Sampson is a more likely to be the lead back if Judkins misses time. Ford has his fixed role as the back on second-n-long and third down. The Browns would like to keep him rested on early downs.
Neither Sampson nor Ford is likely to be productive. Both have been disappointing this season. It doesn't help that the Browns have the worst offensive line in the league, according to PFF's Week 9 offensive line rankings. Sharp Football's offensive line stats show the Browns rank last in yards created before contact on rushing plays.
Sampson might not have the chance to start, anyway, because Judkins might not miss any games. While initial reports suggested Judkins could miss 2-3 weeks, it's possible that he might not miss any games.
It's an AC joint sprain for #Browns RB Quinshon Judkins, who's day to day heading into the bye.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) October 27, 2025
Week 9 is the Browns' bye week, and in Week 10, the Browns face the Jets, one of the most favorable fantasy matchups for running backs. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot, Judkins is considered day-to-day, and RotoBaller's Patrick McGrath writes, "[I]f he is active when the team returns from the bye, he could see one of the week's highest projections."
Fantasy managers in need of a running back should for Weeks 10 and 11 should pick up Sampson for a modest FAAB bid and stash him if your roster has space. If Judkins is your starting running back, you can slot him in IR.
Who Should I Pickup Tool
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