Who Should I Start? Samaje Perine or Jerome Ford

Friday, September 29, 12:11 AM

Denver Broncos running back Samaje Perine was expected to have a significant role in the backfield early on in his first year in Denver with Javonte Williams being eased in following a major knee injury in 2022. Perine looked pretty explosive on 12 touches in the season opener and played the same number of offensive snaps as Williams. But in the last two weeks, he's disappeared, combining for four carries for 13 yards and five catches for 35 yards. The Broncos understandably abandoned the run game in a 50-point loss to the Dolphins in Week 3, but his drop in involvement the last two weeks has been concerning. Rookie Jaleel McLaughlin has seen more carries and has even scored. The Chicago Bears are an extremely inviting matchup for RBs, but will Perine even see enough touches to be worth considering as an RB4/flex in fantasy? We have our doubts.

Thursday, September 28, 6:25 PM

Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford (shoulder) has scored three touchdowns over his past two games. The second-year running back will look to keep the hot streak going in Week 4's home matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Ford popped up on the injury report on Wednesday as a limited participant in practice but he was upgraded to a full practice on Thursday, seemingly putting him in line to suit up on Sunday. If he were to suffer a setback and ultimately not play this weekend, Kareem Hunt and possibly Pierre Strong Jr. would both be in line for larger roles. For now, fantasy managers can pencil Ford in as an RB2 for Week 4, but be sure to check back on Friday's post-practice injury report. He should find room to run against a Baltimore defense that is allowing the 17th-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs through three games.