Could be involved with Mixon back

Perine will cede starting running back duties to Joe Mixon in Sunday's game against the Browns after the latter practiced fully Wednesday and cleared the NFL's concussion protocol, but Perine may have earned a larger role than he previously held after excelling as a replacement for Mixon over the past two games, James Palmer of NFL Network reports.

According to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic, head coach Zac Taylor already confirmed Wednesday that Mixon would reclaim the starting role, even though Perine amassed 248 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on 48 touches (38 carries, 10 catches) over the previous two weeks while helping the Bengals knock off likely playoff teams in the Titans and Chiefs. Before exiting early in the Bengals' Week 11 win over the Steelers, Mixon had played more than two-thirds of the snaps in each of the team's first nine contests, but it's possible a more even timeshare between him and Perine may be in place Sunday. Perine demonstrated over the last two games that he's capable of filling in on both early and passing downs while churning out yardage efficiently, making him a reliable fill-in option if Mixon should need a breather during a given possession. That said, Perine can't be counted on to see enough touches to make him a viable fantasy lineup option outside of deeper leagues now that Mixon is back in the picture.