Samaje Perine is a six-year veteran who has proven plenty capable of filling in when called upon in the past. While that is one avenue for him to pay the fantasy football bills in 2023, the potential for the Denver Broncos to ease Javonte Williams back into action is there, and that could open up enough of a role for Perine to pop onto Flex radars.
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Samaje Perine’s Fantasy Outlook for the 2023 NFL Season
The Broncos spent the 35th overall pick in 2021 on Javonte Williams, and he is clearly the future of this backfield. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have two Broncos hold value to open 2023. Recent history suggests that running backs coming back from an ACL tear are likely to see a dip in usage and efficiency (if not both), something that makes Perine an appealing option.
Samaje Perine averaged 1.47 yards per route run in 2022, 9th best among the 31 RBs with 150+ routes runpic.twitter.com/mc4Ir0oYBI
— Scott Spratt (@Scott_Spratt) August 22, 2023
Sean Payton will be looking to “fix” an offense that ranked 32nd in scoring last season, a task that got more difficult after Jerry Jeudy was injured last week. Payton has a history of helping fantasy managers, and trusting him to improve this offense makes sense — he’s just going to have to get creative.
A rebound season from Russell Wilson is certainly possible, but his best rushing days are behind him. That should put more volume on the running backs, and with Williams likely on a pitch count through September at the very least, that’s huge for Perine’s outlook.
Is Perine a Good Fantasy Pick?
He’s as good a pick now as he has been at any point during the summer. Williams’ stock is on the rise as he continues to check boxes in his rehab, and as his ADP rises, Perine’s crashes.
I’m good with that! The risk involved with Williams alone makes Perine worthy of his current price, so when you factor in the potential for Perine to get 8-12 touches even when Williams is healthy, we are looking at a player I’m actively targeting.
- PFN Consensus Rank: 97th overall
- Current ADP: 102nd overall