Judkins (ankle) doesn’t practice Wednesday

Browns coach Todd Monken indicated earlier today that Sampson has a chance to return from injured reserve in time to face the Titans on Sunday. The Browns’ skill position corps is banged up and could use an explosive player. Sampson might end up warranting FLEX treatment right off the bat, if he is active this week.

Earlier today, Browns coach Todd Monken said he was “optimistic” about Judkins’ availability for Week 7 against the Titans. Today’s limited session puts him on track to play, though it would be nice to see him practice in full. If active, he would be a FLEX starter.

Monken sounded like Judkins and Dylan Sampson will be active and ready to go against Tennessee. Judkins had been the locked-in lead back for Cleveland before his Week 5 ankle injury, seeing 71 percent of the team’s designed rushing attempts. The potential return of Sampson, a good pass catcher, could complicate things for Judkins’ involvement in the pass game going forward. Judkins will be a touchdown-dependent flex play against a Titans defense allowing the NFL’s ninth lowest rushing success rate in 2026.

McLaughlin operated as the Browns’ lead back with Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson both sidelined. The 26-year-old back saw six of his carries go for four or more yards, and he was the only Browns running back to see a target. If either Judkins or Sampson are able to return in Week 7 against the Titans, McLaughlin will likely return to his role as a lightly used backup. If Judkins were to miss another game, McLaughlin could be in line for double digit touches, but he would be a risky bet as far as fantasy is concerned.

Judkins tested out his ankle in pregame warmups, with the team deciding afterward that he would not play in this AFC North battle with the Ravens. With backup Dylan Sampson still sidelined and Raheim Sanders (hip) on injured reserve, the Browns will look to Jaleel McLaughlin and the recently signed Audric Estime to lead their backfield in Week 6. This is looking like a backfield to avoid for this week, but McLaughlin could have some value in deeper leagues. The Browns also ruled QB Taylen Green, CB Noah Igbinoghene, DT Mike Hall Jr., C Parker Brailsford, OG Teven Jenkins, and DT Mason Graham inactive for this week.

Per Rapoport, there is optimism that linebacker Carson Schwesinger (ankle) will be able to play this week. Judkins logged a single limited practice on Friday before being listed as questionable. The fact that the Browns are even letting him test the groin injury in warmups suggests he will miss at most one game. If he doesn’t suit up, the Browns would be down to Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime as their remaining options at running back. McLaughlin would be the better choice for fantasy managers, though this is largely a situation to avoid if possible.

He only got in a limited session on Friday, leaving us to conclude this is likely a true questionable situation. The viability of Jaleel McLaughlin as a FLEX play will probably be determined by if Judkins is active or not. It’s also possible Judkins plays on a pitch count. He’ll be a shaky low-end RB2 if active.

Sampson practiced each of the last two days, but it was too little, too late, for Week 6. He stands a chance at returning in Week 7. As long as Quinshon Judkins is relatively healthy, Sampson won’t have standalone value.

This is an improvement for Judkins, who was a DNP for the team’s first two practices this week. Head coach Todd Monken said earlier this week that Judkins was considered day-to-day, so we’ll see if he has a shot at playing when the team releases its final injury report in a couple of hours. It seems unlikely that Judkins will be fully removed from the injury report, meaning he’ll likely carry a questionable designation heading into the weekend.

This is at least some positive momentum towards being activated and helping the Browns out on Sunday, though even if Sampson was activated he’d likely be in a committee. We’ll see what Friday brings, but unless it’s a full session, we’d be surprised if Sampson was more than a sketchy questionable for Week 6.