Fantasy Football News

Bengals RB Samaje Perine (ankle) was a full participant in Tuesday's practice. That puts him on track to return for Thursday night's game vs. the Ravens. Perine had worked his way into about one-third of the backfield work before going down with a high-ankle sprain in Week 9. RB Chase Brown has been excellent without Perine the last two weeks, though, totaling 206 yards on 5.6 yards per carry and catching eight of 12 targets. We're expecting Perine to steal some work from Brown going forward -- but not as much as he was before the ankle injury. Brown remains a strong Week 13 fantasy start.

The Bengals on Wednesday announced that they've released RB Zack Moss. It's not a shocking ending given that Moss averaged a career-low 3.3 yards per rush last year, suffered a season-ending neck injury, and then took a pay cut in the offseason. But it could tell us something about the 2025 backfield.

The Bengals and RB Zack Moss have agreed to restructure the final year of his deal, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports. Moss missed the final nine games of last season with a neck injury, but Cincinnati is "clearly confident in his return," according to Garafolo.

Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (illness) is inactive for today’s game vs. the 49ers. He was off the final injury report, so Kansas City is just opting to roll with RBs Kareem Hunt, Carson Steele, and Samaje Perine.

Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco is scheduled for testing on an ankle injury suffered in Sunday's win over the Bengals, HC Andy Reid said afterward. ESPN's Jeff Darlington interviewed Pacheco after the game and "got zero sense he’s dealing with anything serious." We should get an update on Pacheco tomorrow. His absence would leave Kansas City's backfield to Carson Steele and Samaje Perine. RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire is out at least another two games.

Update: Pacheco left the stadium in a walking boot and on crutches, according to Darlington.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams was one of the least efficient runners in the league last year. He averaged just 3.6 yards per carry and ranked 42nd among 49 qualifiers in NFL Next Gen Stats’ Rush Yards Over Expected Per Attempt. It's certainly worth noting that Williams was returning from an October 2022 multi-ligament knee injury. He was cleared for the start of training camp last summer, but it’s fair to wonder if the knee was still a factor throughout the season.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams didn't just let you down with his production in Saturday night's loss to the Lions. He saw his playing time and route participation tumble. It started with Denver putting Jaleel McLaughlin on the field to open the game. Williams took over for the second possession and still led the backfield in playing time and touches. But his 48% playing time for the game marked his lowest since a Week 6 return from a quad injury. That followed three straight games of 60%+. His biggest dip came in the passing game. Williams ran a route on just 25.7% of QB Russell Wilson's dropbacks. That marked a significant fall vs. three straight outings of 40.5% or more. Williams ran just nine routes vs. eight for Samaje Perine and five for Jaleel McLaughlin. Combine that with now seven straight games of averaging less than 3.9 yards per carry, and it's tough to see Williams as more than an "if you need him" starter for a Week 16 matchup with the Patriots. We'll see about his role and performance in that game before declaring his usability for a better matchup with the Chargers in Week 17. Perine drew just 1 target for the game but caught it for 11 yards and averaged 6.2 yards across his 6 carries. That followed a 5-catch Week 14 and couldn't have hurt his chances at getting playing time the rest of the way. McLaughlin garnered just 4 touches for the game. He has topped 6 touches just once in his past eight games.

Broncos rookie RB Jaleel McLaughlin grabbed attention with some high-efficiency performances earlier this season and briefly moved ahead of Samaje Perine in playing time and usage. McLaughlin has continued to garner a lot more carries than Perine, leading the veteran 22-4 in the four games since Javonte Williams returned from injury. But Perine has played more snaps than McLaughlin each of the past three games, including Monday night in the win over Buffalo. Perine's primary role obviously lies in passing situations, where he's splitting time with Williams. That hasn't meant more than 3 targets in a game since Williams returned. But it will limit McLaughlin's opportunities. McLaughlin has remained the touch leader between them over the past three games, but neither looks usable vs. Williams' current role -- unless you're desperate for an RB.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams (quad) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. He seemingly has a chance to play vs. the Jets this weekend. We'll see what Williams does on Friday and how he's listed on the final injury report.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams did not practice on Wednesday. He's listed on the injury report with a quad, rather than the previously reported hip. Regardless, Williams is in real danger of missing this weekend's game vs. the Jets. His absence would leave Denver's backfield to Samaje Perine and Jaleel McLaughlin.

RB Jaleel McLaughlin led the Broncos with seven carries and 72 rushing yards in Sunday's win over the Bears. RB Javonte Williams was knocked out early in the second quarter with a hip injury. McLaughlin tallied six carries and two targets the rest of the way to RB Samaje Perine’s five carries and two targets. McLaughlin was clearly the more explosive back, ripping off a 31-yard run and an 18-yard TD catch. Don't expect McLaughlin to dominate backfield work if Williams misses time. But based on what we saw today, it looks like he'd be the better fantasy play than Perine.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams suffered a hip injury in the first half of Sunday's game vs. the Bears and is questionable to return. We'll pass along an update when we get one. Williams' absence leaves Denver's backfield to Samaje Perine and Jaleel McLaughlin.

Update: Williams has been ruled out.

Broncos RB Javonte Williams is not listed on the Week 1 injury report. He'll play on Sunday vs. the Raiders -- his first regular-season game since last October's multi-ligament knee injury. HC Sean Payton said Wednesday that Williams will have a "big role" this weekend. "I haven’t put together a [snap] number for him," Payton added. "He’s moving well. He’s strong and healthy." We're still expecting Williams to at least open the season in a fairly even committee with RB Samaje Perine. But Williams should see enough work to at least be a RB3 or flex play in Week 1.

Broncos RB Samaje Perine left practice on Wednesday with a thumb injury. Perine walked to the locker room with Denver’s training staff, although HC Sean Payton downplayed the injury later on. We’re not expecting Perine to be limited for the start of training camp.

UPDATE: Perine's injury was a thumb bruise. Carry on.

The Broncos have agreed to a two-year, $7.5 million deal with RB Samaje Perine. This contract also includes an additional $1 million in potential incentives. Perine makes a lot of sense for the Broncos given the uncertain recovery timeline for RB Javonte Williams, who tore his ACL in Week 4 of 2022 vs. the Raiders. Even if Williams is able to recover in time to play a majority of the 2023 season, Perine stands to shoulder a decent amount of the rushing workload in a Sean Payton-led offense that historically uses a committee approach at RB. The Broncos have invested heavily in their offensive line this offseason as well, inking large contracts with T Mike McGlinchey and G Ben Powers so far. How much this move impacts fantasy will depend on the health of Williams, but this move is far from insignificant, especially if the Broncos don't spend any more on the RB position this offseason.

Bengals RB Joe Mixon (concussion) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Titans. We'll see if he can make it back for Week 13. His absence leaves Samaje Perine as Cincinnati's lead back, although the matchup against Tennessee's 5th-ranked RB defense makes him as more of a low-end RB2 in fantasy lineups. Chris Evans is set to return from his knee injury and should operate as the #2 RB on Sunday.

Bengals #2 RB Samaje Perine claimed 3 of QB Joe Burrow's 4 TD passes in Sunday's win over the Steelers. The 1st came before Joe Mixon left with a concussion, but the other 2 followed his 2nd-quarter departure. Perine caught 4 passes for 52 yards in all. He also led an inefficient run game, carrying 11 times or 30 yards (2.7 per rush). Mixon also averaged just 2.9 yards per carry on his 7 attempts before leaving. Mixon's injury gives Perine a pretty good chance at starting Week 12. Unfortunately for him, that will come against the league's top run defense (Titans).

Bengals HC Zac Taylor said Monday that RB Samaje Perine has a “leg up” in the competition to be the 3rd-down back. Taylor also called Perine a "security blanket" while acknowledging that 2nd-year RB Chris Evans could still earn the role. The main takeaway here is that the team doesn't want to put too much on Joe Mixon's plate, despite his 3-down skill set. A Mixon injury would almost certainly lead to a timeshare.

The Bengals on Saturday placed RB Samaje Perine on the training camp PUP list. The team didn't reveal his injury, and a player can come off the camp PUP at any point. But it certainly doesn't help him in his competition with Chris Evans to serve as the team's #2 RB. We'll be watching that battle throughout camp.

Bengals RB Joe Mixon injured his left ankle late in the 4th quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Broncos. He never re-entered but was at least trying to keep the ankle loose by jogging on the sidelines. That at least suggests that this isn't a serious injury, but we should learn more on Monday. Samaje Perine will step in as Cincinnati's lead back if Mixon misses times.