The RB dead zone can be a scary, scary place. 

On the surface, the running backs coming off the board in that area of the draft (Rounds 5 and 6) project pretty well. Plenty of volume, talent, etc. One of the running backs that fits the mold perfectly is Quinshon Judkins, who is one of the most intriguing players to break down ahead of the 2026 season. 

Let’s take a closer look.

Quinshon Judkins Fantasy Football Outlook For 2026 — Is He The Mid-Round RB To Draft?

Judkins in 2025

Off the field issues limited Judkins training camp reps as a rookie, while ultimately sidelining him for Week 1 of last season. He made his NFL debut in Week 2, seeing a modest workload. But Judkins would quickly emerge as the lead option in Cleveland’s backfield, leaving very little doubt who was getting the football.

From Week 3 on, Judkins handled 74% of the Browns’ designed rush attempts, trailing only Ashton Jeanty and Jonathan Taylor. And up until Week 15, Judkins averaged 17.7 carries and 19.9 opportunities per game. His 19.1 touches per game during that span ranked seventh, while only Taylor, James Cook and Christian McCaffrey averaged more rush attempts per game. The volume was great, but it didn’t exactly translate to tremendous fantasy upside, as Judkins was the RB22 in PPR PPG. So what happened? Well, it turns out that bad offense and limited pass game usage is less than ideal for fantasy running backs.

Who would have thought?

We know that game script often plays a factor in what a running back can ultimately do on a weekly basis. But it especially impacts running backs who don’t offer a ton in the passing game. Because the Browns were once again a bad team last year, they found themselves trailing a lot, limiting Judkins’ volume. Last year, Cleveland ran 298 offensive plays when trailing by 10-plus points, the seventh-most in football. That did not bode well for Judkins’ late-game usage, as the rookie averaged just 3.7 fourth quarter touches per game, which ranked 20th among all running backs. Judkins was Cleveland’s clear early-down option, but he ceded plenty of third down/passing work to Dylan Sampson and Jerome Ford. According to the Utilization Report, Judkins logged just 9% of the long down and distance snaps, as well as 11% of the two-minute opportunities.

The results weren’t always pretty, but fantasy teams could feel pretty secure with the guaranteed volume they were getting from Judkins each week. Unfortunately, that ended in Week 16 when Judkins’ rookie season ended at the hands of a fractured fibula. All reports out of Cleveland are extremely positive (because of course they are), but this is an injury that has certainly sapped plenty of the juice from players in the past, including fellow running backs Tony Pollard and Isiah Pacheco. 

The location of his injury apparently favors that of Cam Skattebo’s last year or Chris Godwin’s from a few years back, making Judkins’ recovery less difficult. Take it with a grain of salt because it’s “ahead of schedule season”, but Judkins does appear to be… ahead of schedule. 

Projecting Quinshon Judkins For 2026

Assuming Judkins is full-go for Week 1, he should see as much work as he can handle. Or as much as game script allows. When Pollard returned from his fractured fibula, he opened the 2023 campaign averaging 24.6 touches per game through the first three weeks of the season. And Pollard actually had less time to recover than Judkins will have. 

The real question is can Cleveland improve enough in multiple areas to give Judkins a legitimate shot at fantasy upside? He finished as a top-12 fantasy running back four times a season ago, but it’s no secret that Cleveland’s shortcomings hindered Judkins’ potential.

Nowhere To Run

When I ask which rookie running back from 2025 battled behind an atrocious offensive line, everyone’s immediate answer would be Ashton Jeanty. 

And they’d be right. But Jeanty wasn’t alone.

Once an elite run-blocking unit, the Browns really, really struggled up front a season ago. As a team, Cleveland generated 0.58 yards before contact per rush, the second-lowest mark in football. That, of course, trickled down to Judkins, whose 0.40 YBC/ATT was the worst among qualified rushers. For reference, Jeanty was at 0.60. As a result, Judkins was stuffed at or behind the line of scrimmage on 22.2% of his carries, the eighth-highest rate in the league. The poor offensive line mostly told the story of Judkins’ 3.6 YPC, and it was frustrating because the tape shows a player that can really make things happen when he isn’t asked to make things happen on his own most of the time. 

We just need the rest of this offense to make some strides.

Because Judkins was the identity of this entire offense, opposing defenses’ sole focus was to stop him. Especially when the three-headed monster of Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders isn’t exactly instilling fear in secondaries. Last season, Judkins saw stacked boxes on just over 45% of his attempts, one of the highest rates in the league. He also averaged a whopping 7.7 defenders in the box per rush, the third-highest mark among running backs with at least 100 totes. On so many occasions, it felt as if Judkins was all alone out there.

Reinforcements are on the way

The top priority for Cleveland this offseason was to bolster the offensive line. They wasted no time, selecting LT Spencer Fano in Round 1 of the draft. They then traded for Tytus Howard, while signing Elgton Jenkins and Zion Johnson in free agency. Judkins should be thrilled to welcome all four new starters, but especially Johnson, who is coming off a career-best season with the Chargers, while ranking second among interior offensive linemen in ESPN’s run block win rate. 

Cleveland also added Judkins’ potential lead-blocker– fullback Michael Burton. New head coach Todd Monken deployed 21 personnel very often with Patrick Ricard in Baltimore, utilizing it 24%, 20% and 19% of the time during his three seasons as offensive coordinator. Cleveland, meanwhile, ran just four run plays in 21 personnel a season ago. 

Game Script

One of the reasons Judkins finds himself in the RB dead zone is his (expected) lack of pass-game usage. It’s what can really make the difference between a good fantasy running back and an elite one. As a rookie, Judkins posted just 7.5% target share, which ranked 30th among running backs. Perhaps the departure of Jerome Ford could lead to a slight uptick in work for Judkins, but Dylan Sampson remains stellar in that role. Sampson tied Bijan Robinson for the position lead in YPRR (1.90), while his 24% TPRR was good for fourth-best.

Don’t expect Judkins to play a ton of third and longs, while two-minute drill appearances will be rare. But if Cleveland can just keep games close, it could go a long way towards keeping Judkins on the field.

The Browns actually have a pretty favorable schedule this season. Don’t get me wrong. The AFC North is absolutely brutal. But outside of that, there is a lot to like with Cleveland’s slate of opponents in 2026. They’ll face arguably the weakest division in football in the NFC South, with the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers being at home. But they also face the Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets and New York Giants, all improving teams but nothing that strikes any fear.

Trading away Myles Garrett sure as hell won’t help things. But there appear to be some contests where Cleveland may not be drastically point-chasing.

Browns’ Notable 2026 Opponents:

The Bottom Line

There’s no doubt that things should be trending upward for Judkins. Already a very talented player, he’ll now have (theoretically) more room to operate with an improved offensive line. Meanwhile, the addition of Todd Monken gives Cleveland one of the better run game architects in football. 

Still, two things continue to stand out above the rest when projecting Judkins for 2026—the offense and the targets.

The Browns made improvements at wide receiver this offseason, but quarterback remains a massive question mark. And as good as I think he can be on a per-carry basis, at the end of the day, touchdowns and receptions are the key to unlocking that coveted ceiling.

Last season, Judkins averaged 0.8 inside-the-five carries per game, tied for 16th in football. Cleveland’s offense obviously was among the league’s worst, ranking:

• 32nd in points per drive (1.29)
• 32nd in TDs/drive (13.3%)
• 30th in plays per drive (5.2)
• 2nd in three-and-out rate (40.5%)

At the end of the day, Judkins is a player I am excited to draft on a team build where I fade the running back position through Rounds 1-4, with an obvious boost in half or, if you’re insane, non-PPR formats. The youth, talent and workload are enough for me to have hope as a breakout running back, though if I draft Judkins, I’m hoping for upside, rather than banking on it.

Hope the talent shines through with an improved environment. Hope there is an unexpected spike in receiving work. Hope the Browns offense takes a step forward. But if there’s one thing I’m banking on?

When Judkins is on the field, he’s getting the ball.