Who Should I Start? Samaje Perine or Emari Demercado

Monday, December 22, 11:29 AM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Samaje Perine remains an appealing deep league option despite playing second fiddle to lead rusher Chase Brown in the team's ground attack. Perine posted another solid outing in Cincinnati's 45-21 thrashing of the Miami Dolphins, racking up 25 rushing yards and a touchdown on seven carries, and another 16 more on 2-of-3 receiving. It was the veteran's second rushing score of the campaign, as he continues to enjoy an elevated workload in the back half of the season. In four games since returning from an ankle injury, Perine has hovered around 40% of the Bengals' snaps, while averaging 12 opportunities per appearance. Even with Brown boasting a majority of the backfield touches, fantasy managers can turn to the 30-year-old as a sound flex asset, or in a pinch in shallower formats. They'll get a porous Cardinals' rush defense in Week 17.

Saturday, December 20, 4:26 PM

Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado is expected to handle an increased workload against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 16, but his fantasy outlook remains murky. He is on track to operate as the backup to Michael Carter this week after Zonovan Knight (ankle) was placed on injured reserve. While Demercado was viewed as Arizona's passing-down specialist at points earlier this season, it's unclear whether that remains his role given how well Carter has performed in the passing game lately. Carter has 19 catches over his last five games, whereas Demercado has just 10 catches through parts of 10 games this year. Rather than being a true passing-down specialist, it seems more likely that the 26-year-old will fall into a change-of-pace role, allowing the Cardinals to manage Carter's workload and keep him fresh. Demercado has shown impressive burst in the past, and his 8.3 yards per carry over the last two seasons indicates that he's capable of breaking off big plays. His fantasy value in Week 16 likely hinges on whether he's able to break off any big runs or catches against the Falcons. In other words, he'll need high efficiency to overcome a backup's workload. He currently ranks as the RB51 in RotoBaller's latest fantasy football rankings for Week 16.