The Bengals have placed RB Samaje Perine on the COVID list. His specific status isn't yet clear, but he at least looks very iffy for Week 6. Perine isn't much of a standalone fantasy option when Joe Mixon is healthy, but he did eat up 11 carries (for 59 yards) and catch 4 balls for 24 yards and a TD in Sunday's loss to the Packers. Perine played more than 3 times as many snaps as Mixon in that game and beat him in rushing attempts and targets. As long as Mixon avoids any setback with his sprained ankle, we'd assume more work for the starter in this Sunday's visit to Detroit. If Perine is out, then Chris Evans should see some involvment. We wouldn't expect him to be an option for fantasy football lineups, though.

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.

Nick Kosmider of The Athletic believes RB Samaje Perine “should be a fixture of Denver’s offense, regardless of when [Javonte] Williams returns.” It certainly sounds like new HC Sean Payton agrees. “When we signed Samaje, this is a guy that gave us flexibility,” Payton said. “We signed him because we knew he was durable and reliable. We felt like we got another solid runner who’s built in a strong way. There are a lot of things he does well. When we signed him, there was still uncertainty (with Williams). I was taught a long time ago to stack them up at that position. It’s a tough position in our league.” We’ll continue tracking the ACL/LCL rehab for Williams, who looks close to 50/50 for Week 1. For now, Perine’s Round 9 ADP on Underdog Fantasy looks tempting.

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 Samaje Perine ran for 106 yards on 21 carries in Sunday's win over the Chiefs. He added 6 catches for 49 yards among 7 targets, ranking 2nd on the team in both targets and receptions. Perine watched Chris Evans claim the only RB TD, on an 8-yard catch. QB Joe Burrow supplied the team's only rushing score. We'd bet on Joe Mixon being ready to return in Week 14 (vs. Cleveland) after missing the past 2 games with a concussion.

Bengals RB Samaje Perine garnered 24 opportunities in the team's win at Tennessee Sunday. He predictably had trouble with rushing efficiency against the league's top run defense, gaining 58 yards on 17 carries (3.4 per rush) with a long run of 9. But Perine found the end from 7 yards out to make his fantasy day. He added 4 catches for 35 yards on 7 targets for a nice PPR line. Trayveon Williams worked as the #2 RB -- with Joe Mixon out -- carrying twice for 18 yards and catching 1 of 2 targets for 24 yards. RB Chris Evans played just 4 snaps. We'll see about the status of Mixon (concussion) for Week 13.