Who Should I Start? Ameer Abdullah or Samaje Perine

Friday, January 3, 6:07 PM

After initially being listed as doubtful, the Las Vegas Raiders have downgraded running back Ameer Abdullah (foot) to out for the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers after he missed practice all week. Abdullah injured his foot in the Week 17 loss to the New Orleans Saints in which he had the first 100-yard rushing day of the season. With the 31-year-old getting an early start to the offseason, the Raiders will use Alexander Mattison as their lead back against LA at Allegiant Stadium, with rookie Dylan Laube and Chris Collier also seeing action in a change-of-pace role. Abdullah saw additional opportunities in the second half of this season due to injuries to Mattison and Zamir White, but he'll finish his third season in Sin City with only 311 rushing yards and two TDs on 66 carries over 16 games. He added a career-high 40 catches for 261 yards and three more TDs.

Saturday, January 4, 10:59 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Samaje Perine will face the Denver Broncos on the road in Week 18. With Isiah Pacheco marked as out and Kareem Hunt listed as doubtful for this week's contest, Perine should handle the majority of touches out of the backfield. The 29-year-old receiving back will face the Broncos, who rank 15th in fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs this season. Despite shouldering the load, Perine's ceiling will be lower with Carson Wentz under center this week. Perine is ranked RB44 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him a desperation flex option this week. There is a possibility that Perine is fantasy-relevant through sheer volume on the ground and through the air, but scoring opportunities could be at a premium in this contest. Fantasy managers should look elsewhere.