# Love or Judkins? The Week 1 running back call

> Two young backs, two bad matchups, and two very different reasons to start them in Week 1.
- Title: Love or Judkins? The Week 1 running back call | Shortify
- Summary: Two young backs, two bad matchups, and two very different reasons to start them in Week 1. Start Love in PPR for the receiving work, start Judkins in…
- Keywords: fantasy football, running backs, week 1, nfl, start sit, sports, Love, Judkins, Week, running, back, call
- Source: Fantasy Sports On SI — https://si.com/onsi/fantasy/news/week-1-fantasy-football-running-back-outlook-will-jeremiyah-love-or-quinshon-judkins-be-fantasy-viable
- Published: 2026-09-11T18:54:45+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: fantasy football, running backs, week 1, nfl, start sit, sports
## Two rookies, big expectations
Jeremiyah Love and Quinshon Judkins open the season as the young backs fantasy managers drafted hoping for a breakout. Both draw hard Week 1 matchups.
## Love is cleared to play
The third overall pick is expected to suit up for his regular-season debut after an ankle injury in his preseason debut put that in doubt.
## But he is the RB2
Arizona lists Love behind Tyler Allgeier to start the year. With Allgeier as the starter, expect a split backfield while Love works his way back to full health.
## Touches still coming
Being second on the depth chart does not mean being invisible. Love should still get a decent share of the work in the opener.
## The receiving angle
Love's value in PPR and half-PPR comes from catching passes out of the backfield, not from carries he is not getting yet.
## Game script helps him
The Cardinals are expected to trail the Chargers, and a pass-heavy script puts Love on the field for more snaps.
## Competition for targets
Trey McBride, Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr. all want the ball. Love should still see enough looks out of the backfield to matter.
## Judkins gets the volume
Cleveland is set to feed Judkins against Jacksonville. He averaged 18.2 touches per game last season and the opener should look the same.

> Judkins is set for a workhorse amount of carries in the Cleveland Browns' season opener.
## Jacksonville is the problem
The Jaguars finished second best against opposing running backs last season, holding them to 18.3 fantasy points per game.
## A bad offense around him
The Browns rank last among all teams in expected points for Week 1. Few goal-line chances plus a negative game script caps what the volume can produce.
## The verdict
In PPR and half-PPR, take Love for the receiving upside. In standard leagues, Judkins' workload is too heavy to bench, tough defense and all.

> In standard formats, Judkins' heavy workload is too good to pass up.
## Key takeaway

Start Love in PPR for the receiving work, start Judkins in standard for the volume, and expect neither to blow up.