After exiting the Bengals Week 11 contest vs. the Steelers with a concussion, running back Joe Mixon has officially been ruled out for Sunday’s contest vs. the Tennessee Titans.
The news isn’t altogether shocking as Mixon failed to get in any practices leading up to this weekend, however fantasy owners were still holding out hope that the talented 26 year old would be able to get in at least a limited session at some point.
As a result, Samaje Perine figures to see the bulk of snaps in Week 12, with Chris Evans and Trayveon Williams acting as change of pace backs.
Perine handled most of the touches vs. Pittsburgh after Mixon went down last week, and posted 11 rushes for 30 yards, while adding 4 catches for 52 yards and 3 TDs.
That being said, whoever assumes RB1 duties will have the difficult task of facing the Titans fearsome run defense which has given up the 4th fewest fantasy points to opposing backs in 2022.
As of this writing Perine is only 53% rostered in Yahoo! leagues (up 45% in the last 24hrs), while Evans is currently rostered in less than 1% of leagues.
While Perine would have desperation play potential in a tough matchup, the window to snap him up is quickly closing for fantasy owners. Evans figures to be a stash in the event that the game plan changes prior to kickoff Sunday. However barring any reports that Cincinnati wants to use him as a feature back and keep Perine for 3rd down pass catching duties, can likely be dropped around noon on Sunday.
For those who may have missed out on the Perine frenzy when waivers unlocked, Jerick McKinnon could be in for an expanded role with Clyde Edwards-Helaire officially placed on injured reserve.
The Chiefs RB is currently rostered in only 33% of Yahoo! leagues.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.