Ja'MarrChase

Oct 12

Earlier in the week, it seemed like Cincinnati would be without its top four wide receivers.

Ja'Marr Chase didn't practice Wednesday and was limited Thursday, then upgraded to full Friday with a concussion. Tee Higgins didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday, then upgraded to full Friday with groin and neck injuries. They were both ruled questionable but were ultimately active. Third receiver Andrei Iosivas remains on injured reserve, while fourth receiver Colbie Young missed back-to-back games due to a knee injury. Chase’s playing time was normal in this one, while Higgins was rotated out a little more frequently than usual but only in 12 personnel, as he played 100% of 11 personnel snaps. It was Mitch Tinsley typically taking Higgins' spot. In 11 personnel, Dohnte Meyers played 100% of snaps as the third receiver. This generally led to targets being more spread out than usual, including touchdowns by Tanner Hudson and Mike Gesicki. Erick All Jr. finished second on the team in receiving yards at 25. Going forward, fantasy managers ideally don’t need to worry about the playing time of Chase and Higgins.

Oct 12

Samaje Perine led the Bengals in rushing attempts and yards. Chase Brown has been excellent from a fantasy perspective at times, in part because he plays in one of the best offenses in the league, and in part because he dominates rushing volume while also being among the league leaders in receiving volume for running backs. However, he has never graded among the best running backs in the league, and has had occasional rough spots. Despite this, Cincinnati has rarely adjusted the personnel in the backfield. Perine has been the receiving back the last two years, while Tahj Brooks has been the third back, who only ever plays if one of the top two backs are injured. Brown had a rough game last week, running nine times for 10 yards. He similarly had a difficult outing this week, running 13 times for 39 yards. He has gained just one first down over the last two weeks, and has no runs of 10 or more yards. This led Perine to rotate in more often on early downs and short-yardage situations this week. The strategy appeared to be part of the plan from the start, with Perine totaling 11 snaps and six carries on first and second downs over the first five drives. If this rotation continues, then Brown is still a fantasy starter, but his ceiling will be lower. There is a chance Brown steps up, and then his playing time will go back to normal. A similar phenomenon happened last season. However, there is also a chance Perine’s playing time increases even further after having a good game. Perine is worth adding off the waiver wire in case his role continues to expand.