Quinshon Judkins vs David Montgomery

“Judkins screams to me as a volume-driven fantasy football RB2. To me, that profiles as replaceable production that isn’t necessarily built to last.”

“02: Quinshon Judkins (RB – CLE) Despite missing most of training camp and Week 1 because of off-the-field issues as a rookie, Quinshon Judkins had a productive 2025 season.”

“Quinshon Judkins looks like a volume trap.”

“Judkins sits at RB14 in dynasty ECR after becoming an instant workhorse last year following a legal issue that kept him out of camp and week one. He’s only 22 with a genuine workhorse profile, but his team’s offensive line ranked dead last among combined preseason rankings, his receiving profile looks limited, and he’s coming off a serious ankle and fibula injury that raises real doubt about his readiness entering this season.”

“With a rebuilt offensive line to run behind in 2026, hopefully better quarterback play in front of him (fingers crossed), and more scoring opportunities, Judkins could return RB2 production this season.”

“Overvalued: Quinshon Judkins, Running Back (RB23, Pick 52 OVR) Quinshon Judkins was a great talent coming out of college, but had a shortened offseason thanks to his domestic violence “issues” (a euphemism to say that he beat a woman). He ended his rookie year by destroying his leg late in the season, and is recovering from his leg and ankle injury.”

“Quinshon Judkins (RB – CLE) Judkins was off to a strong start as a rookie before a fractured fibula ended his season. Recovery timelines from that type of injury have been mixed for other NFL players, though Judkins is young enough that he’s had ample time to heal.”

“Even with Dylan Sampson around, Judkins is the workhorse and could get 250+ touches assuming good health for the entire season. Now a second-year running back, Judkins is in the window of time when running backs start to explode.”

“Judkins has three-down upside and should be a target wherever he falls on draft day.”

“Judkins had at least 18 rushing attempts for 110 yards or a touchdown in three consecutive games after making his debut. Furthermore, Judkins averaged 17.4 PPR fantasy points per game in the six contests with 18+ rushing attempts.”

“Judkins finished as the RB26 in PPR formats with 169.8 fantasy points, a baseline he should surpass with a full workload under head coach Todd Monken. There is no reason he can't push into RB1 territory this season and remain there beyond 2026.”

“Quinshon Judkins was trying to overcome a bad offense in 2025 and may see that same dilemma in 2026. Judkins passed the eye test when he was on the field before injury, and he looks explosive right now in practice, too. Even though 67% of his runs went for 3 or fewer yards (worst rate in the NFL), he was still a workload monster who got 34% of the Browns' rush attempts and targets.”

“The biggest reason Gibbs should be the RB1 is that he no longer shares the backfield with David Montgomery .”

“David Montgomery, Tyler Allgeier, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Kareem Hunt, Jalen Hurts – 8 Jordan Love is the only QB in the last decade to:”

“David Montgomery (RB – HOU) At this point in the draft, I didn’t have a running back yet, so I wanted to start taking swings on players I felt had starter upside, and David Montgomery is definitely one of them”

“Last season, Montgomery bested Marks in explosive run rate, missed tackle rate, rushing success rate, yards after contact per attempt, and yards per route run. Legit, every per-touch metric that I care about. Montgomery is the superior back, even at this stage of his career, and he’ll be a strong volume-driven RB2 that could flirt with RB1 production.”

“David Montgomery now finds himself as the Texans’ do it all workhorse for 2026. Last year, he was phased out of the Lions’ offensive plans as the season moved along, which led to his RB32 finish in fantasy points per game. In Weeks 12-18, he was the RB43 in fantasy points per game with a 32.1% snap rate, 8.2 touches per game, and only 42.8 total yards per game.”

“A Case Study at the Round 4 Turn Currently in best ball ADP, DJ Moore and David Montgomery are priced right next to each other, with average draft positions of 47 and 48, as of July 27th.”

“Gibbs, like Bijan, has seen his total volume increase each year of his NFL career and is projected to take on an even bigger load now that Knuckles, aka David Montgomery , is gone.”

“All this adds up to an offense that will be on the field a lot while nursing leads in the second half, and that’s all David Montgomery time, baby.”

“Flip this to David Montgomery last season, who didn’t get a lot of volume, but was 19 th in yards per touch, 32nd in true yards per carry, and 29 th in yards created per touch. What you see is a bell cow-style individual, very similar to Joe Mixon in the past, and this is the type of player that (despite being aggressively average) can put up a ton of fantasy points on volume alone.”

“Montgomery should absorb a workload close to what Joe Mixon saw in 2024.”

“David Montgomery (RB – HOU) Montgomery’s price has crept up steadily all offseason to the point where one analyst is no longer comfortable with it, now sitting around the second pick of the sixth round. There was real confidence in him right after his team traded real draft capital to acquire him, but the cost has now outpaced that confidence.”

“We were only a year removed from Joe Mixon scoring 11 times on the ground in Houston in 2024, so it is easy to get to David Montgomery having touchdown upside in a larger role with the Texans.”