Who Should I Start? Samaje Perine or Tony Jones Jr.

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.

Saturday, August 31, 9:32 AM

The Arizona Cardinals have released running back Tony Jones (shoulder) from injured reserve with an injury settlement, according to Howard Balzer of CardsWire. Jones had injured his shoulder during the final week of the preseason and was placed on season-ending injured reserve. However, now that he was released with a settlement, Jones immediately becomes a free agent and is technically free to sign with any team. Teams will wait until he's fully healthy before making any sort of deal, but at least there's now a chance for him to suit up again this season, rather than spend the whole year sidelined. Jones had 132 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns in 2023, and he remains nothing more than a depth piece on NFL rosters. He should be avoided in all fantasy leagues.