Who Should I Start? Samaje Perine or Tony Pollard

Thursday, December 4, 1:11 PM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Samaje Perine missed two games due to an ankle injury, but he returned in the Thanksgiving night win over the Baltimore Ravens last Thursday and had one fewer carry than starter Chase Brown in the 32-14 victory. Perine surprisingly had a season-high 14 rushing attempts in his return from injury, but he didn't do much with the additional opportunities, gaining just 39 yards on the ground (2.8 yards per carry) while also losing his second fumble of the year. The 30-year-old veteran added two receptions for 15 yards. Now that he's back to full health, Perine should continue to work as Cincy's RB2 behind Brown, but fantasy managers can't bank on him seeing double-digit carries again as the Bengals head into a Week 14 date with the Buffalo Bills this Sunday. At best, Perine is a handcuff for Brown in deeper fantasy football leagues.

Sunday, December 7, 6:09 PM

Tennessee Titans running back had 25 carries, 161 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns during Sunday's Week 14 win over the Cleveland Browns. His touchdowns came on long runs from 32 and 65 yards out, respectively. Pollard's big performance seemed to come out of nowhere. Over the last three weeks, he struggled to amass more than a dozen touches per game, averaged fewer than 4.5 yards per carry, didn't score a touchdown, and essentially split snaps 50/50 with Tyjae Spears. However, that entire dynamic changed this Sunday as Pollard shattered his previous season-high rushing attempt total (20) and posted his best fantasy performance of the season. Pollard played well early in the game, so it seems like Tennessee simply rode the hot hand and kept him in the game as long as he continued to play well. That same trend should continue in Week 15 against the San Francisco 49ers, and Pollard has the early advantage over Spears given his excellent showing this Sunday. He's back into the RB2 tier for Week 15.