Is Samaje Perine A Good Fit With The Broncos? Fantasy Football Outlook

Samaje Perine's most productive season in the past five years came in his contract year. With it came mid-level free agency interest, and now Perine is a Denver Bronco.

Perine has been the Bengals' backup behind Joe Mixon for the past three years. But he has looked better than Mixon at times. In each of those three years, he has rushed for more yards per attempt and more yards after contact per carry than his team's starter.

Perine once again will be the RB2 in Denver, but given his success, could he be fantasy-relevant even as a backup?

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Why Did The Broncos Sign Samaje Perine?

None of the running backs the Broncos relied on during the second half of the 2022 season remain on the team. Denver desperately needs depth at the position. In addition to Perine and No. 1 RB Javonte Williams, who is recovering from an ACL tear suffered in early October, the team also has 2022 sixth-round pick Tyler Badie, Tyreik McAllister, and Damarea Crockett, who has three career carries.

Broncos GM George Paton says Williams should be ready for Week 1, but Matthew Berry's sources told him at the Combine that Williams will likely miss time. Even if Williams is healthy, running backs usually lack confidence and power upon returning from ACL tears.

Consider the examples of Saquon Barkley and J.K. Dobbins. Barkley only averaged 3.7 yards per attempt in 2021, one year after he tore his ACL in 2020. It took him two years to return to form. Dobbins missed all of 2021 after tearing his ACL, as well as his LCL, meniscus, and hamstring, and he wasn't ready to return until Week 3 last season. He missed six more weeks in the middle of the season because of complications from his previous ACL surgery.

Is Samaje Perine A Good Fit For Denver?

New Broncos coach Sean Payton liked to run a balanced West Coast-style offense in New Orleans. In 2018, 2019, and 2020, Payton's Saints ranked among the top four in passing targets going to running backs.

Perine is a capable pass catcher and an above-average pass blocker. In each of his three full seasons in Cincinnati, Perine caught over 80% of passes thrown his way, and last season, he caught four touchdown passes. He graded at 72.7 as a pass blocker. He should fit into the Broncos' offense.

But the question you might be most interested in is, what is Perine's fantasy value?

In the three games in which Perine got the bulk of the Bengals' carries, he finished as the RB2, the RB10, and the RB4 in PPR in Weeks 11, 12, and 13 while running behind one of the worst offensive lines. Denver's offensive line, while disappointing last season, has been beefed up this offseason with the additions of tackle Mike McGlinchey and guard Ben Powers.

The Broncos could still add another running back, but Perine looks to have a role no matter what and might be the RB1 going into the season.

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