Who Should I Start? Samaje Perine or Najee Harris

Monday, September 30, 4:37 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Samaje Perine had five carries for 14 yards and a touchdown in the 17-10 against the Los Angeles Chargers. The veteran running back scored on a two-yard in the fourth quarter to give the Chiefs the lead. Perine had the second-most carries out of the backfield for Kansas City and averaged 2.8 yards per carry. Despite his receiving prowess, Perine did not have a single target in this contest. Perine ceded receiving work to Kareem Hunt, who had three targets against the Chargers. With the addition of Kareem Hunt and the eventual return of Clyde Edwards-Helaire, there will not be enough touches to go around in the Kansas City backfield. Perine will try to hold onto his secondary role against the New Orleans Saints in Week 5. If Steele redeems himself in the eyes of the coaches, Perine may be the odd back out. Despite the uncertainty at the position, the Saints are a good matchup for running backs. The Saints have allowed the fifth-most yards per carry to opposing offenses this season, so Perine should have decent running lanes. The Chiefs backfield is too crowded to know who to start, but there should be more clarity following next week's contest. Perine is a good stash candidate but is best left on benches until we know where he sits in the hierarchy.

Sunday, October 13, 8:05 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris turned 14 carries into 106 yards and a touchdown while adding two receptions for 16 yards on two targets in the team's Week 6 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Harris broke free for a 36-yard scamper in the third quarter that resulted in his first trip to the end zone this season. After struggling with efficiency through the first five weeks, Harris gained 7.57 yards per carry on Sunday for a new career-high. Backfield mate Jaylen Warren ran clearly behind Harris and failed to make much of an impact in his first game back from a knee injury. Fantasy managers who have been relying on Harris' workload should be thrilled to see it translate to actual production this week. While it may be difficult for him to find similar success against the New York Jets in Week 7, Harris should remain a volume-based RB2 moving forward.