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.

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 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.

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).