2026 Season Outlook
Sampson never caught many passes in college and more so excelled as a runner, so it was a little odd how Sampson's rookie year box score was so promising with its pass-catching production yet with a complete dud in the ground game. Sampson (5-8, 200) is smallish and certainly looks more like a pass-catching back than a volume runner, so it's encouraging that he showed the ability to pile up PPR points as a rookie, lessening the pressure on his rushing production for fantasy viability. If Sampson can make a fantasy impact without rushing volume then it would allow him to remain in the fantasy starter conversation, even if only as a flex type in PPR scoring. Quinshon Judkins is the clear starter and is likely to approach 20 carries in a game before Sampson gets to eight in the same contest, but Sampson should see upwards of 30 snaps in the same hypothetical and given Sampson's 2025 target rate (40 on 249 snaps) there could be an average of something like five targets per game as long as he hovers around that 30-snap mark. Sampson not only drew targets at a high frequency, he closed the deal as a receiver by catching 33 of 40 targets for 271 yards and two touchdowns. Even if the Browns passing game improves a great deal in 2026, no offense can turn down pass-catching production like that from the running back position, where Sampson's 82.5-percent catch rate at 6.8 yards per target compels sustained usage if not increased usage