Chris Evans, passing-down RB?

The Athletic’s Paul Dehner projects Bengals RB Chris Evans as the “passing-down starter.” He’s taken advantage of missed time from RB Trayveon Williams (ankle). Per Dehner: “The story of the third-down job has been dominated by the rise of Evans. He’s shown well in pass protection and improved running the ball downhill over last year’s disappointing preseason to become the frontrunner with Williams sidelined.” Current Bronco Samaje Perine ran 239 routes for the Bengals last year and turned them into 38 receptions. We’re not forecasting that type of role for Evans right now. But the third-year back -- with high-end athleticism — is a name to monitor in deep PPR setups.

Bengals RB Chris Evans is inactive for tonight's game vs. the Rams. He wasn't this week's injury report, so this looks like a healthy scratch. RBs Joe Mixon, Trayveon Williams, and Chase Brown are active for Cincinnati.

Bengals RB Chris Evans (hamstring) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Ravens. RB Chase Brown is active after being a healthy scratch in the opener. The rookie figures to be the No. 3 RB behind Joe Mixon and Trayveon Williams.

Bengals RB Chris Evans (hamstring) is questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Ravens. He totaled just two carries and one target on seven snaps in Week 1, so there’s little fantasy impact here.

On Tuesday, the Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. wrote that he projects Bengals RB Chris Evans as the team's starting passing-downs back. Fellow Bengals RBs Chase Brown and Trayveon Williams appear on this list as backups. Dehner Jr. adds that Evans has "shown well in pass protection and improved running the ball downhill" compared to last preseason. Evans seizing this role would make him the replacement for Samaje Perine, now with the Broncos, and bring his fantasy appeal up to the level of a late-round PPR target in deeper leagues. We'll be sure to keep track of this RB2 battle as the preseason comes to an end. See where these Bengals' backs sit in our current RB rankings.

Bengals RB Chris Evans (hamstring) is out for Sunday's game against the Jets. Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine will handle all of Cincinnati's backfield work.