Who Should I Start? Samaje Perine or Saquon Barkley

Saturday, December 16, 10:54 AM

Denver Broncos running back Samaje Perine (knee) was on the Week 15 injury report but has since been cleared and will play on Saturday evening against the Detroit Lions. Outside of maybe the deepest PPR setups, Perine is probably worth avoiding, especially against a Lions team that has allowed only 48 receptions on the year and zero receiving touchdowns to RBs. But although Perine was passed by rookie Jaleel McLaughlin around the midpoint of the season for the RB2 role in Denver, he has made a comeback and is once again the Broncos' preferred back on passing downs, catching all 15 of his targets for 112 yards (7.47 yards per reception) in the last four games. He's also added 11 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown. If the Broncos find themselves trailing big early, Perine could be more involved in the passing attack.

Monday, March 11, 2:57 PM

Free-agent running back Saquon Barkley is signing with the Philadelphia Eagles on a three-year, $37.75 million deal. The deal includes $26 million in guaranteed money and has an additional $9 million available in incentives. After a 2018 rookie season that saw the former Penn State star go for over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns, he has struggled to stay healthy over a chunk of the next five years of his career. He missed 21 games from 2019 to 2021. He bounced back in 2022 with 1,312 rushing yards but regressed to 962 yards in 14 games in 2023. However, the Eagles believe in him as a game-changing running back, as his average salary ($12.58 million) ranks only below Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, and Jonathan Taylor. Although the Eagles' offensive line could take a hit after the retirement of Jason Kelce, Barkley should be playing behind the best offensive line of his career in 2024. He will have an immediate high-end RB1 upside in fantasy football.