Who Should I Start? Samaje Perine or Josh Jacobs

Tuesday, December 16, 11:37 AM

Since returning in Week 13 from an ankle injury that caused him to miss two games, Cincinnati Bengals running back Samaje Perine has recorded 135 scrimmage yards on 38 touches across three contests. While Bengals back Chase Brown remains the lead rusher in Cincinnati, Perine plays a third-down role that has led to a consistent snap share this season. He's played at least 37% of Cincinnati's offensive snaps in every game since returning from injury, giving him a chance at standalone fantasy value every week. Still, Perine's main utility for fantasy managers is as a handcuff option to Brown. If Brown were to go down over the final weeks of the season, Perine would likely dominate backfield snaps in Cincinnati. In fantasy leagues with 12 or more teams, Perine is worth targeting on the waiver wire and stashing in a bench spot.

Wednesday, December 17, 1:42 PM

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (knee) is a non-participant at practice on Wednesday, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN. Jacobs did not take part in the team's walkthrough practice on Tuesday, either, but he intends to play through his knee issue again in a crucial Week 16 divisional rematch against the Chicago Bears this Saturday night. The 27-year-old has been battling a knee injury since Week 11, and he sat out the Week 12 win over the Minnesota Vikings. He was questionable going into last Sunday's loss to the Denver Broncos, but he ultimately played and had a rushing and receiving touchdown. Jacobs is also listed with an ankle injury, but his knee is the more serious ailment. He might not end up practicing much, if at all, this week, but the expectation is that he'll be ready to go on Saturday. Still, Emanuel Wilson isn't a bad speculative waiver-wire pickup in case Jacobs is ruled out. Jacobs has been a must-start RB1 in fantasy all year with 14 total touchdowns in 13 games, but he's literally limping to the finish line.