This might sound crazy, but after seeing Spencer Ware go HAM on Sunday, the one resounding conclusion I came to, is that I need Jamaal Charles.
And I need him, now.
Prior to the news about Charles being OUT Week 1, he was a consensus first rounder with an ADP between 9 and 12th overall. Then, his stock plummeted and he was being taken as late as the 5th and even the 6th rounds –- he was taken 42nd overall (4th round) in the RSJ Draft. Charles owners across the country, especially ones who invested a first round pick on him, are currently shitting their pants, and right now is the time to strike. When he comes back, he’s going to run the ball and most importantly he’s going to get receptions, which equals production.
We knew coming into the season that Charles’ workload was going to be decreased and Ware’s touches would increase. The fact that Ware had a stud-like day shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who plays competitive fantasy football, but it seems like it’s all anyone can talk about. I’m not trying to downplay Ware’s performance – 199 combined rushing and receiving yards, 1 TD –- but it did come against San Diego. Very much the same San Diego defense that was 27th in rushing yards allowed per game and 30th in yards allowed per-rush-attempt in 2015. There’s a reason why no one in your league owns the San Diego defense, and the reason is because they suck.
Reports (at the time this was written) on Charles’ return are far from definitive, but right now, while 75% of the fantasy football population still thinks Ware is the next coming of LT, you need to acquire Jamaal Charles. The next 2 weeks will be extremely telling, not only in regards to Charles’ status, but more importantly in regards to whether Ware is the real deal or not. Week 2 the Chiefs travel to Houston (10th in RYAPG in 2015) and Week 3 the Jets (2nd in RYAPG) come to KC. I promise you both of those defenses are starting weekly in your league.
I’m not going to go as far as to say that Charles is guaranteed to give you round 1 value the rest of the season, but I know he’s the only back available right now who has the potential to give you round 1 value the rest of the season. So take your #3 running back, add in a low-end wide receiver, hell, add in two low-end wide receivers, and go get a deal done. For the next few days, Charles is the ultimate low risk/high reward fantasy player and that’s what this is all about — hedging potential risk — while maximizing potential reward.
Seriously. Stop reading this, go get it done and then shoot us a tweet in a few weeks saying, “thank you.”
