We've reached the low-stakes musical-chairs portion of the preseason, as teams cut down their rosters, and then teams sign some of those players to new contracts. Some fringe-fantasy-relevant guys like Robert Tonyan are re-claimed by their former team for less money. Other fringe-fantasy-relevant guys like Samaje Perine join new teams.
In fact, Perine might be the most notable example. The RB-thin Chiefs entered Wednesday with essentially three viable RBs: Isiah Pacheco, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and Carson Steele. CEH is the Darnell Mooney of running backs: one pretty strong campaign in four NFL seasons and ongoing questions about whether they'll ever be fantasy-relevant again. Steele, meanwhile, is a low-ceiling undrafted free agent entering a rookie season in which he might not see more than a dozen touches.
For a dynastic franchise, this is unacceptable. And so yesterday afternoon, in an e-mail to subscribers of the FF4W Fantasy Bargains Report, I shared some thoughts, including, "If KC signs a veteran, it probably means competition with CEH. If they sign a UDFA-caliber RB with a limited NFL track record, it's probably better news for CEH."
About 40 minutes later, it was reported that KC had signed Perine. And just like that, CEH's tenuous hold on a glorified handcuff role is nearly gone. Pacheco also might be affected.
Perine caught 50 passes last year for a career-high 9.1 yards per reception. He's broken 16 tackles on 150 catches these past four seasons, which is an elite clip by NFL standards. He's also had 13 games with 15+ touches, though the last time was in November 2022.
He doesn't appear to have lost a step at age 28 (almost 29), and he's shifting to a much better offense. He's now a legitimate fantasy dart throw in most leagues. While he hasn't (yet?) leapfrogged CEH on the depth chart, he might not have to. If Pacheco gets hurt, Perine aerial usage alone might make him a better fantasy option if he's the 1B to CEH's 1A.
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OK, I'm officially a little nervous about Ja'Marr Chase and kind of (not as) nervous about Brandon Aiyuk. There's still time. But Chase sitting out practice and Aiyuk remaining in limbo heading into Thursday isn't good. There's still time. I'd be much more nervous if it were next Tuesday, though that doesn't help those of us drafting this coming weekend--the final weekend before the season starts.
You all know how risk-averse you are. I moved both receivers down a few overall spots. Nothing major, though it'll become major if they're still in a holding pattern Saturday or Sunday.
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A couple days ago I created a Top 400 rankings spreadsheet for those in non-PPR (Standard) leagues. Most recently updated about six hours ago (midnight). Every year, a few of you ask for it, and typically I've said, "No time." This week I was able to carve out time. So if you subscribe, the link you receive will be for both PPR and Standard rankings, and I'll continue to update both spreadsheets thru next Wednesday night.
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