Chase

Brown

In fact, Brown could have had a third touchdown on a 25-yard pass from Joe Burrow in the fourth quarter. The pass hit him in the hands, but the ball was ripped away at the last second by a Bills’ defensive back. Buffalo has actually defended the run relatively well since the bye week, especially when Shaq Thompson has been healthy, but Samaje Perine ran much harder and more physically in the snow than Brown did. Brown tried to set up too many cuts and jukes on a day when footing was hard to come by. Perine will continue to sap some of his upside, but Brown remains an RB2 heading into next week against the Ravens.

This is a new injury for Brown. The fact that he is practicing fully is a good sign, but it is worth keeping an eye on his practice participation tomorrow. The Bengals’ lead back has totaled 100-plus scrimmage yards in six straight games. He can be expected to produce fantasy-friendly results against the Bills’ lacking run defense this weekend.

After a slow start to the year, Brown has quietly turned into one of the league’s most efficient runners over the past two months. He has averaged over five yards per carry in five of his past six games. Burrow’s return kept that momentum rolling as he posted 5.2 yards per carry. With Tee Higgins out this week, Brown also stepped up through the air, tying Ja’Marr Chase for a team high in catches. Brown has at least six catches in three of his past four appearances. The only downside of his Week 13 performance is that Samaje Perine mixed in for 14 carries. Perine was far less effective, averaging a measly 2.8 YPC, but the Bengals’ coaching staff didn’t seem to care. He will continue to be a thorn in Brown’s side heading into Week 14. A phenomenal matchup versus the Bills’ run defense will keep Brown in the RB1 mix next week.

It’s an estimation, but it’s a rapid recovery from Perine after being doubtful for Week 12. Perine left Week 9 against the Bears with a high-ankle sprain and has not played since. His return would prevent Chase Brown from hogging the whole workload pie against the Ravens, much to the chagrin of Brown-reliant managers.

He also added 23 yards on two catches. It was tough sledding for the entire Bengals offense without Ja’Marr Chase (suspension) against a stout Patriots defense. Brown ran hard and looked good on the ground, but the Patriots prevented him from ripping off too many chunk plays. With Semaje Perine (ankle) out for the game, Brown saw 21 of the 23 running back touches for the Bengals. Perine’s missed a few games in a row now, and as long as he remains out, Brown will continue to be in for big days with a ton of volume.

Perine is still working his way back from the high-ankle sprain he suffered in Week 9. Chase Brown saw 24-of-27 backfield touches in Week 11. Perine’s continued absence will ensure a three-down role for Brown again this week, keeping him at the top of the RB2 ranks.

Brown’s 5.5 YPC on the day is buoyed by a 35-yard run he ripped off in the third quarter. The bell cow back was unable to find the end zone in this one, but somewhat made up for it with another high-volume day through the air. Brown’s eight targets on the day were second only to Ja’Marr Chase, and made for a nice little PPR scam for fantasy managers in a game that saw the Bengals’ offense struggle for most of the afternoon. Tahj Brooks played just 11 percent of the snaps to Brown’s 85 percent and ran the ball once. The volume puts Brown on the RB1 radar in Week 12 when the Bengals take on the Patriots.

The Bengals were forced to abandon the run game after once again falling behind by multiple scores, though Brown saw 11 of the team’s 13 running back carries on the day. Brown, with Samaje Perine exiting the game with an ankle injury, led the Bengals in targets, and could have had a bigger receiving day had he not dropped a well-designed screen that might have gone for a chunk gain. Perine’s absence changed Brown’s role dramatically; he had totaled nine targets over his previous three games with Flacco under center. Brown logged a route on 47 of Flacco’s 53 drop backs against Chicago. An extended absence of Perine could make Brown a more reliable PPR flex option once the Bengals return from their bye with a Week 11 matchup against the Steelers.

Perine suffered a frightening lower body injury on a first half kick return. After writhing in agony for a while, Perine popped up, ran to the Bengals sideline, and sat on the bench, where he cried out in pain as trainers tried to treat his injury. Perine has been splitting the backfield workload with Chase Brown, accounting for a significant number of two-minute drill snaps and routes. Perine’s absence would be a fantasy boon for Brown if he’s forced to miss time with the ankle issue.

Though the Bengals lost to the Jets, Brown took advantage of a great matchup for the second week in a row. He topped 100 yards on the ground for the first time last week and posted his first multi-touchdown game today. Week 8 was also his second-best game of the year by yards per carry (6.1), bested only by his mark of 9.8 last week. Brown did, however, cede a red zone score to Samaje Perine, who racked up 94 yards on nine attempts. Brown was still the focal point of the ground game and is starting to find his footing with Joe Flacco under center. He will push for an RB1 rank in yet another great matchup versus Chicago in Week 9.