Who Should I Start? Samaje Perine or Nyheim Hines

Saturday, January 4, 10:59 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Samaje Perine will face the Denver Broncos on the road in Week 18. With Isiah Pacheco marked as out and Kareem Hunt listed as doubtful for this week's contest, Perine should handle the majority of touches out of the backfield. The 29-year-old receiving back will face the Broncos, who rank 15th in fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs this season. Despite shouldering the load, Perine's ceiling will be lower with Carson Wentz under center this week. Perine is ranked RB44 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him a desperation flex option this week. There is a possibility that Perine is fantasy-relevant through sheer volume on the ground and through the air, but scoring opportunities could be at a premium in this contest. Fantasy managers should look elsewhere.

Tuesday, February 18, 9:08 PM

The Cleveland Browns released running back Nyheim Hines (knee) on Tuesday. Hines has not played in an NFL game due to a torn ACL since 2022, when he split time with the Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills. The Browns were hoping that the 28-year-old would be ready at some point in 2024, but that never came to pass and he spent all year on Injured Reserve. He'll now have to prove he's past his knee injury in order to get picked up by another team looking for a RB with pass-catching skills out of the backfield as depth at the position. The former fourth-rounder (104th overall) by the Colts in 2018 out of North Carolina State has 306 rushing attempts for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 240 receptions for 1,778 receiving yards and eight TDs in five NFL seasons. Even if Hines latches on with a new team for 2025, he won't be on the fantasy radar.