Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 6: Samaje Perine

The Washington backfield has become one of the hardest things to project in fantasy football.

Rob Kelley was the starter entering the season, but injuries and ineffective play led to Chris Thompson becoming the featured back. However, Thompson is more of a scat back who can’t handle a full workload over the course of a 16-game season.

That has allowed rookie Samaje Perine to become a factor in Washington. Over his last three games, Perine has 46 carries for 143 yards. He has yet to score and offers nothing as a pass-catcher, but he still looks like a slight upgrade over Kelley, and this allows Thompson to stay fresh and durable going forward.

Fantasy Impact: Perine does have a good matchup this week in the San Francisco 49ers, who are allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to running backs this season. Even so, keep Perine benched until he shows he can produce in a feature role.