Samaje

Perine

Perine returned to Cincinnati on a two-year deal in the offseason. He easily took the RB2 gig over rookie Tahj Brooks and eventually parlayed that into a committee role. Perine didn’t log a single carry over the first two weeks but was stacking 10-touch games by November. He finished the year with 84 carries for 382 yards and three scores while adding 17 grabs for 87 yards. Perine was a staple of the RB4 ranks over the final two months of the year. He will likely keep his No. 2 role with the Bengals into the 2026 season.

Perine got the Bengals’ backfield scoring started with a four-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, but then Chase Brown got the next three. Wild. Brown ended up out-touching his veteran backfield mate 16-9. Perine has been much more involved of late, but it’s not creating standalone fantasy value, and it’s somehow not affecting Brown’s. Brown has a plus Week 17 matchup in the Cardinals while Perine remains off the radar.

Perine saw one more carry than Chase Brown, but averaged just three yards per carry on the day with his longest gain coming on an eight-yard pickup. Perine briefly left the game in the fourth quarter due to a knee injury, and was carted to the locker room at one point. Despite all of this, he returned to finish out the day and should be good to go for Week 16 against the Dolphins. Even if he is active, fantasy managers can avoid him next week.

It’s not often we see a player carted to the locker room only to return later in the game. That said, Perine did exactly that in the fourth quarter after exiting earlier with a knee injury. Perine didn’t even miss a drive despite the injury, and returned to take more carries from Chase Brown.

Perine remained down on the field after a third down carry and appeared to be grabbing at his knee. He was eventually helped off by trainers, but later carted from the field. This will spell the end of the day for Perine, who was splitting work with Chase Brown all afternoon and exits with a rushing line of 9-31-0. He also caught one pass for one yard.

Perine missed the previous two games with an ankle injury but was cleared to play early this week. The Bengals immediately split their backfield in two, giving Perine just one fewer carry than Chase Brown. The latter, of course, was far more efficient, running for 5.2 yards per carry compared to 2.8 for Perine. Perine also coughed up a red zone fumble late in the game. He still saw carries on the next drive, meaning his coaches weren’t deterred by the mistake. Perine doesn’t hold much fantasy value heading into Week 14, but he will be a thorn in the side of fantasy managers hoping for a better workload from Brown.

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.

Perine was listed as doubtful with an ankle injury, so this doesn’t come as a huge surprise, but it is now official. Without him in the lineup, Chase Brown should see the vast majority of the carries and also get an uptick in receiving work. He’s locked in as a top 10 option this week, even if the Bengals trail the Patriots for much of the game.

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.

Perine suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 9 and has not practiced since. Tahj Brooks has assumed backup duties, but the Bengals went back to last year’s “All Chase Brown All The Time” plan in Week 9. We’ll see if they have any more faith in Brooks in Week 11 after their bye.