Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Quinshon Judkins vs. Javonte Williams
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Going into the season, there was a lot of uncertainty in the running back rooms of the Dallas Cowboys and the Cleveland Browns. Now, as three weeks of the NFL season have rolled by, the outlook of the two backfields are pretty well defined. Quinshon Judkins is the RB1 on the Browns, and Javonte Wiliams is the RB1 on the Cowboys. With week four soon on the way, here is a breakdown on who to start and who to sit in fantasy football between Judkins and Williams.
Quinshon Judkins
The Cleveland Browns' second-round rookie, Quinshon Judkins, after missing week one of the 2025 season, is back in the fold and playing well. In his first contest against the Baltimore Ravens, he got a decent amount of work. He logged 10 carries for 61 yards and three catches for 10 yards. In his latest performance, against the Green Bay Packers, the Browns truly unleashed him as their feature back. He had 18 carries for 94 yards. The two other notable Cleveland RBs, Dylan Sampson and Jerome Ford, combined for one carry for two yards in the game.
It took just over one (1) game of action for Quinshon Judkins to lead all rookies in rushing yards #DawgPound pic.twitter.com/mwYVEvy22c
— FantasyPros (@FantasyPros) September 25, 2025
With Judkins now being the clear-cut RB1, he is, without a doubt, a fantasy steal. His 98 yards against the Packers was the most rushing yards Green Bay had given up to an RB this season by a wide margin. The second most yards by a RB was Detroit Lions Jahmyr Gibbs in week one, who had 19 yards on nine carries. So it is encouraging to see that Judkins can run against one of the better rushing defenses effectively in the NFL, especially with the team playing the Lions in week four. Detroit has allowed the 11th fewest rushing yards per game through three weeks.
Javonte Williams
The Dallas Cowboys running back has shut down the hype of rookie Jaydon Blue and has inserted himself as the lead back in Dallas. Through three weeks of play, Williams has put up the seventh-most fantasy points for an RB in PPR fantasy formats. In his latest outing against the Chicago Bears, he had 10 rushes for 76 yards, and five receptions for 16 yards. He had his highest yard per carry average of the season, averaging 7.6 yards.
This week, he and the Cowboys will take on the Green Bay Packers, who, as previously mentioned, besides Judkins, have not allowed opposing RBs to be successful. Through three weeks, they have allowed the third fewest yards per game in the NFL. Before Judkins' outing, they were ranked second in this category.
Final Verdict
Based on their week four matchups, in the start and sit debate between the two RBs, Judkins should be a start while Williams is a sit. Judkins, although he is facing a tough rushing defense in Detroit, has proven that he can put up good numbers against this level of defense. Williams, on the other hand, has not. The three teams the Cowboys have played–Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, and the New York Giants—all rank inside the top 10 for most rushing yards allowed per game. Thus making the Williams' matchup against the Packers a scary spot to start him in.
For fantasy managers in a bind, Williams can still be a start given his touchdown upside. He has already found the end zone three times this year.
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Gray Deyo is a Nashville-based sportswriter who graduated with a sports management bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He has covered prep sports, college sports, the WNBA, and the NBA for the past four years. In addition to writing for SI, Gray also currently contributes to Prep Girls Hoops