Quinshon

Judkins

Judkins suffered a fractured fibula and a dislocated ankle in Week 16’s loss to the Bills, but it doesn’t appear he is dealing with any significant ligament damage, which would have resulted in a longer absence. A 4-5 month absence for Judkins would put him on track to return well ahead of training camp, which is a good sign for the Browns, who handed the ball off to him a team-high 230 times this season.

In addition to the broken leg, Judkins also suffered a dislocated ankle and is being evaluated for a knee injury. It’s a brutal end to the season for the rookie running back, who entered the day with a 222-805-7 rushing line. Hopefully, tests on his knee don’t reveal any additional damage, but Judkins will have to undergo surgery to repair the multiple injuries he suffered in Week 16’s loss. It’s impossible to put a timeline on when he could return at this point, but Judkins solidified himself as the Browns’ top option in the backfield this season and is a safe bet to return to the bell cow role next season once he’s healed up.

CBS Sports opted to not show the replay of what is a right-leg injury. Judkins took a hard hit from Bills linebacker Matt Milano after catching a short pass from Shedeur Sanders. Judkins was in visible pain after the play and remained down until the cart came out to take him to the locker room. With Dylan Sampson already out, the Browns’ will turn backfield duties over to Trayveon Williams and Raheim Sanders. Judkins’ day will end with a 8-22-0 rushing line and also caught five passes for 29 yards.

Judkins had the backfield to himself with Dylan Sampson out, but the Browns running game was inexplicably ineffective in a great matchup against the Bears defense. Once the Browns fell behind, Judkins was essentially phased out of the game as he couldn’t even get positive yardage on his three catches. He’ll be in the RB2 mix against the Bills in Week 16.

Judkins appeared poised for a big day when he began the Browns’ third series with a 58-yard rumble to the Titans’ two-yard line following a short play-action dump-off from Shedeur Sanders, but he was stymied on the subsequent goal-line carry and Sanders finished the drive off two plays later with a short scoring strike to David Njoku. Judkins then took a backseat to fellow rookie Sanders despite snowy conditions that would typically call for a run-game commitment. Sanders played his best game as a pro, but the Browns still managed to cough up just the second Titans victory all year. Judkins’ pass-catching backups have gotten a bit more involved since Sanders replaced Dillon Gabriel, but Dylan Sampson lost a bad fumble this afternoon. Judkins still has an RB2 role on lock, while the Bears are an A+ Week 15 matchup on the ground.

Judkins chipped away on the ground in another run-heavy game plan for the Browns. He broke off a 17-yard run in the first hald and was mostly bottled up in the second half after the Niners took a commanding lead. Dylan Sampson had just four carries on the day and Jerome Ford did not see a rushing attempt. Ford ran 12 pass routes to 11 for Judkins; both backs saw three targets. Judkins’ domination of early-down touches in the Cleveland offense will make him a somewhat touchdown-dependent weekly RB2 option. He gets the Titans in Week 14.

There was some question as to whether Ford would play in Week 13 after being downgraded to a DNP on Thursday as he deals with a lingering hamstring issue. Ford being active is a slight hit to Quinshon Judkins’ fantasy prospects, though the Browns should be run heavy enough for Judkins to deliver RB2 numbers. The Browns declared G Zak Zinter, T Cornelius Lucas, WR Jamari Thrash, TE Brenden Bates, DE Alex Wright, and DT Adin Huntington inactive against the Niners.

Ford was limited on Wednesday and downgraded to DNP on Thursday, indicating he may have strained his hamstring in practice, causing the limited session. Rookie RBs Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson have dominated snaps over the last two weeks. That should again be the case this week, even if Ford is active.

Judkins might not play on a great team, but his goal line role is as good as it gets. The Browns’ second drive started in the red zone because of a long run return. Judkins got the first carry of the drive and picked up five yards. Kevin Stefanski then sent him out as a Wildcat quarterback. Judkins easily plunged into the end zone. He scored a second Wildcat touchdown from two yards out at the end of the first quarter. Judkins is either the Browns’ top running back or inexplicably the team’s quarterback when they enter the red zone. Judkins briefly exited the game at the end of the second quarter after his head was slammed onto the turf during a tackle. He attempted to return quickly but was called back into the blue medical tent for a more thorough check. He did manage to return after his second trip to the tent. Assuming Judkins is good to go for Week 13, he will sit in the RB2 ranks versus the 49ers.

The Browns kept Judkins operating as their offensive focal point for as long as they could, feeding him an average of five touches per quarter in the game’s first three periods. Despite the final stat line, he ran very well early on. On the Browns’ second drive, the Ravens nearly bottled him up on a run to the left, but the power back traversed the field behind the line of scrimmage and turned a would-be loss into a 13-yard gain. He rattled off seven- and 12-yard gains immediately after that. Judkins should stay involved from start to finish as a borderline RB1/2 against the Raiders next week.