Who Should I Start? Samaje Perine or Kyle Monangai

Monday, September 22, 3:34 PM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Samaje Perine (thumb), who left the Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday with a thumb injury, avoided a serious injury and has not been ruled out for next Monday night's matchup against the Denver Broncos, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. An MRI exam ruled out significant damage to Perine's thumb. The 30-year-old veteran could play against his former team, the Broncos, but he won't be anywhere near the fantasy radar if he does. Perine saw his first rushing work of the season in Sunday's 48-10 blowout loss in Minnesota, carrying the ball four times for 21 yards before getting hurt. He will continue to handle a change-of-pace role behind starter Chase Brown if he's active, but it's unlikely to result in much volume or production, especially with backup quarterback Jake Browning now running Cincy's offense.

Monday, September 22, 10:52 AM

Chicago Bears rookie running back Kyle Monangai had a quiet statistical game in his team's Week 3 win over the Dallas Cowboys, finishing with 20 yards from scrimmage on seven total touches. Bears RB1 D'Andre Swift still appears to have a strong hold on the backfield touches in Chicago, as Swift finished with 78 yards from scrimmage on 16 total touches. Neither Bears running back is averaging four yards per carry so far this season, so Monangai could work his way into a larger workload if he can improve his production over the course of the season. In deep fantasy leagues, the 23-year-old could be a worthy stash candidate depending on overall roster construction.