Jamaal Charles suffered what appears to be a serious injury against the Bears. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that the Chiefs fear the worst:
The immediate fear is that #Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles tore his ACL, source says, based on initial tests. He’ll have an MRI to learn more.
The injury leaves fantasy owners wondering about the status of the Chiefs backfield. Who will be the starting running back for the Chiefs? Will the Chiefs implement a running back by committee approach?
Since the injury just happened, fantasy players have a small sample size to pull from. The names you need to know are Charcandrick West, Knile Davis and De’Anthony Thomas.
Most leagues have waiver claims post on Wednesday morning so there is some time to see how the Chiefs plan on handling the situation. If you are in a league with an open waiver period you should run to the waiver wire and grab a Chiefs running back.
The running backs ranked in order of priority are Charcandrick West then Knile Davis. West got the carries for the Chiefs after Charles injury. He finished the Chiefs game with seven carries for 31 rushing yards along with one reception for five yards. He did not look particularly impressive, and it will be interesting to see if the Chiefs give Davis more of an opportunity going forward.
Knile Davis could end up being the better long term add. He is more of a known commodity as we have seen him have good games replacing Charles in the lineup. Last September, Davis had a nice three game stretch. He had 22 carries for 79 yards and two touchdowns against the Broncos. The following game he had 32 carries for 132 yards and a touchdown against the Dolphins. He also had 16 carries for 107 yards against the Patriots.
The Chiefs depth chart does list Knile Davis in front of Charcandrick West. West received the carries against the Bears in Charles absence but it is worth monitoring how the Chiefs divide the workload moving forward.
De’Anthony Thomas is not worth an add in most leagues but it is worth monitoring how the Cheifs use him without Charles. He could see more carries as well as passes to make up for Charles’ absence.
Not seeing Knile Davis at all. Charcandrick West a must-add in all formats. Athletically-gifted, SPARQ freak. Will see good volume. #Chiefs