Who Should I Start? Samaje Perine or Richie James

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.

Monday, January 8, 2:25 AM

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Richie James caught each of his two targets for 15 yards as the team managed a narrow 13-12 road victory in Sunday's regular-season finale. With top wideout Rashee Rice getting Week 18 off, James stepped in as a fixture in three-receiver sets for the Chiefs. On a day where quarterback Blaine Gabbert only passed for 154 yards, however, James was unable to get much very going. The offense ran through La'Mical Perine on the ground and Mecole Hardman Jr. through the air, with the latter getting peppered with 11 targets in the win. James cracked 100 yards for the campaign in this one, but it was a disappointing outcome for those who took a shot in the dark on him in DFS tournaments. The 28-year-old veteran will not be a big component of the passing game when K.C. kicks off the postseason with a Wild Card battle against the Miami Dolphins on Saturday.