Who Should I Start? Samaje Perine or Tyrone Tracy Jr.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
5.3 21.5 0.2 1.1 7.8 0.0

Samaje Perine News

Samaje Perine an Underrated Insurance Back in 2026

Saturday, July 25, 5:54 AM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Samaje Perine will turn 31 years old in September, but he has shown few signs of slowing down. In his return to the Bengals in 2025, he carried the ball 84 times, his most attempts since 2022, and while maintaining a 4.5-yard per carry average, he scored a career-high three rushing touchdowns. Fourth-year player Chase Brown has developed into a true bell cow back, averaging more than 19.6 opportunities per game across his last 30 outings, making Perine's insurance role behind him a potentially important one for fantasy. Rounding out the Bengals' backfield is 2025 sixth-round pick Tahj Brooks, and there's an expectation that should Brown miss time, the second-year player could help to lighten the load rather than turning full control over to Perine. Still, the 10th-year veteran remains an underrated handcuff option and one that would undoubtedly garner attention on the waiver wire in the unfortunate event of injury.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
6.5 30.3 0.1 1.3 9.5 0.1

Tyrone Tracy Jr. News

Tyrone Tracy Jr. a Priority Handcuff Running Back Entering 2026

Tuesday, July 21, 11:19 AM

Across 15 games (11 starts) in 2025, New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. recorded 1,028 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns on 212 touches. Early on last season, Tracy Jr. appeared to be losing his touches to fellow Giants back Cam Skattebo (ankle). Tracy Jr. regained the team's RB1 role after Skattebo went down with a season-ending ankle injury in Week 8. However, Skattebo is expected to be ready to go for the start of 2026, pushing Tracy Jr. back to a reserve role. As long as Skattebo remains healthy, Tracy Jr. is unlikely to log enough touches to provide fantasy-relevant production. However, the 26-year-old has proven himself capable of putting up decent numbers when given the chance, finishing in the RB3 range in per-game PPR scoring in each of his first two NFL seasons. Skattebo's physical play style may also put him at greater risk of injury than the typical running back, which only increases Tracy Jr.'s handcuff appeal. As the RB44 by current redraft ADP, Tracy Jr. could end up as a value selection for fantasy managers.


Samaje Perine vs. Tyrone Tracy Jr.

Still trying to decide between Perine and Tracy Jr.? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Samaje Perine is projected to score 5.3 points this week while Tyrone Tracy Jr. is projected to score 6.5 points.