Fantasy Football Draft Debate: Quinshon Judkins vs. Cam Skattebo

Going over which RB to draft in fantasy football between New York Giants RB Cam Skattebo and Cleveland Browns RB Quinshon Judkins.

Jun 9, 2026; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins (10) runs the ball during mandatory mini camp at Cross Country Mortgage Campus. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Two second-year RBs, Quinshon Judkins and Cam Skattebo, will enter 2026 as their teams' respective RB1s. With similar ADPs in fantasy football, here is a breakdown of who to take in fantasy football in 2026 between the two.

Quinshon Judkins

Aug 15, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins (10) runs the ball against Chicago Bears linebacker Devin Bush (12) during the first half at Soldier Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With three RBs having the ability to win the Cleveland starting RB job in 2025, Judkins fairly quickly took the reins of that race and established himself as the Browns’ lead RB. In 2025, in 14 games, he had 827 rushing yards and seven TDs. 

Judkins' 2025 production did have a worrisome end. In the first three games of the season, he had 237 rushing yards. In his last three games, he had just 69 rushing yards. That poor production bled into the Browns' most recent game of the preseason against the Chicago Bears. In the game, he had four carries for nine yards. Yes, it is a small sample size. But it is still discouraging.

One other thing that fantasy managers will need to pay attention to with Judkins is the Browns' QB play. Cleveland has the capacity to put forth some of the worst QB play they have in a while. Though Deshaun Watson did look encouraging in the preseason. if the Browns’ QB play is just "bad" Judkins can see a higher workload, as they turn to him for offensive production. But if they have atrocious enough QB play to the point where they can not stay on the field and get taken out of games early, Judkins' fantasy value will tank.

Receiving is not his strong suit, and if Cleveland found themselves trailing significantly, the Browns would likely utilize RB2 for Cleveland, Dylan Sampson over Judkins.

Cam Skattebo

New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo (44) warms up during a preseason opening game between the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Skattebo, coming off an ACL injury, has one of the biggest gaps between his fantasy ceiling and his fantasy floor of any player for 2026. That raises questions: how will he be used coming off the major injury, and how will he look?

The preseason is a hard place to evaluate the first of these questions, but in the New York Giants' first preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings, Skattebo looked fairly good. He had four carries for 19 yards, delivering that same hard-nosed running style fans came to love in 2025.

Skattebo in 2025 was used as a pass catcher at a good scale, even though it is not his strong suit as a player. In the eight games he played, he had two or more receptions in seven games. Going into this season, those pass-catching opportunities and, of course, overall opportunity could diminish. Those chances are increased with the two players behind him on the Giants' depth chart: RBs Devin Singletary and Tyrone Tracy Jr.

Singletary in 2025 had 437 rushing yards and five TDs, and Tracy Jr. had 740 rushing yards and four TDs

Final Verdict

When it comes to who is a better fantasy draft option between Judkins and Skattebo, Judkins is a better pick. That comes from Judkins being a no-question workhorse RB going into 2026. Skattebo, coming off his ACL and with two guys behind him who have played RB1 previously in their careers, has an easy path to take on a lesser role than the one he had before his major injury.