Fantasy Football Profile: Ohio State Running Back Quinshon Judkins

The 2025 NFL Draft is coming! In an effort to educate you, the fantasy football fan, about the top players in the incoming class, I’ll be spotlighting a different player each day. I’ve already covered the top quarterback prospects, and now it’s time to move on to the running backs. I started with Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton, so let’s move on to one of the next best prospects, Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins.

2024 Run Type: Zone 45% Gap 55%

Judkins joined the Rebels in 2022 and was productive right out of the gate, rushing for 1,567 yards and scoring 17 total touchdowns. He was voted a Freshman All-American and was a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award. As a sophomore, Judkins led SEC backs in rushing touchdowns. He entered the transfer portal in 2023 and landed at Ohio State, where he put up over 1,000 rushing yards while splitting the backfield work with TreVeyon Henderson.

Last season, Judkins was graded as the 20th-best running back in FBS by PFF. He averaged a solid 5.5 yards per rush and caught 22 passes out of the backfield. His stats were still very solid across the board despite splitting the workload with Henderson, so he’s fully capable of filling up the box scores at the next level, both in terms of real and fantasy football.  

In terms of his passing protection, Judkins proved in college that he can get the job done. That makes him a potential three-down running back at the NFL level with the right team.

1. Chicago Bears (No. 39 or No. 41)
2. Dallas Cowboys (No. 44)
3. Denver Broncos (No. 51)
4. Cleveland Browns (No. 67)
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 83)

Judkins is a high-level prospect who is projected to be as much as a second-round pick in the NFL draft. He has good size and strength, and his touchdown prowess in college will make him an interesting option for fantasy football fans in re-drafts and dynasty formats.

In terms of draft order, the Bears have two picks in the round and could use one on a bigger back to pair with D’Andre Swift. That’s not an ideal scenario in fantasy, at least in Year 1. The Cowboys could take Judkins as a replacement for Rico Dowdle, as he would be a virtual lock to pass Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders on the team’s depth chart.

In the event that Judkins falls out of the top 50 overall picks, the Broncos could grab him at No. 51 to replace Williams as their starter. The Browns would also be a nice landing spot for Judkins, as he would “stay home” and be the projected starter to replace Nick Chubb. The Steelers could also use a new lead back to pair with Jaylen Warren with Najee Harris gone.