Week 16 vs. Denver Broncos
Samaje Perine injured his groin in practice Thursday, leaving his availability in question for this week's game against Denver. If he's a full participant Friday, there will be no need to worry. Otherwise, it's best to handcuff him for Week 16 with a back-up option. If the waiver options are thin, grab his back-up Kapri Bibbs. If healthy, the matchup is good against a Broncos defense ranked outside the top-20 in aFPA against RBs. Perine would be an RB2 if he can suit up.
Week 15 vs. Arizona Cardinals
The only show in town, Samaje Perine will continue to provide a steady floor for fantasy owners in Week 15. Here are his touch counts in the last four games: 24, 27, 15, 21. Yet another RB went on IR this week for Washington: Byron Marshall. The Cardinals are middle of the road in aFPA to this position, which makes Perine no worse than an RB2 this week.
Week 14 at Los Angeles Chargers
Washington has a below average implied team total in Vegas this week of 20.25 points. The Chargers have also allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks over the past four weeks, meaning Washington should rely on the run game more this week. Samaje Perine is the only show in town. His volume should be substantial against a defense that's only 21st in aFPA to RBs. Start Perine as a high-end RB2/low-end RB1 in Week 14.
Week 13 at Dallas Cowboys
This is not your typical Thursday night game with teams coming off short rest, after Dallas and Washington played on Thanksgiving. With Rob Kelley and Chris Thompson out of the picture the last two weeks, Perine has produced 256 yards and a score on 51 touches. He's, at worst, an every week RB2 moving forward—that includes Week 13. Volume is king, and Perine has it. Dallas is also just middle of the road in fantasy points allowed to RBs.
Week 12 vs. New York Giants
Welcome to Samaje Perine, the bell cow RB. Rob Kelley and Chris Thompson are both on IR. It's the rookie's show now, and that meant a whopping 24 touches for 126 yards and a touchdown last week. The Giants are just 26th in our aFPA vs. RB rankings. He's an RB2 the rest of season, with big upside this week.
Week 11 at New Orleans Saints
This has the making of a shootout for Washington's offense, as Vegas has placed the second-highest total on this game for Week 11 at 51 points. Despite being underdogs, Washington is still in the top half of implied team totals this week. In the backfield, Rob Kelley is on IR, leaving rookie Samaje Perine to assume early-down work. However, odds are Washington will be playing from behind in this game. Consider Perine a very risky FLEX play in this spot—one that will likely require him to score a touchdown to return your fantasy investment this week.
Week 9 at Seattle Seahawks
This backfield is the Chris Thompson show at this point, and nobody else is a viable fantasy starter, including the rookie Perine.
Week 8 vs. Dallas Cowboys
Rob Kelley is healthy. That means Samaje Perine is back to the bench in real life and the waiver wire in fantasy.
Week 7 at Philadelphia Eagles
Samaje Perine vultured a receiving goal-line touchdown from Chris Thompson last week, but Philadelphia is a tough matchup (fourth in our aFPA vs. RB rankings). Perine is only averaging 3.0 yards per carry and isn't getting enough volume to be reliable. He's also always a fumble away from the bench, as we saw earlier this year. He's too risky to start.
Week 6 vs. San Francisco 49ers
Coming off the bye, Rob Kelley is likely out, meaning Chris Thompson and Samaje Perine will split the backfield work. Jay Gruden said this week Washington will still rely on Samaje Perine for traditional early-down work, putting him on the FLEX radar in Week 6 against the 49ers defense that is 29th in our aFPA vs. PPR RB rankings. If you're in desperate need of an RB, you could do worse, but take note of Perine's previous poor weeks as an indication of his low floor.
