Jamaal Charles was once one of the best fantasy football options on the market. After tearing his ACL, his value has greatly diminished. Kansas City Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid was pessimistic about Charles’ status for week one. According to ESPN, Reid doubts that Charles will play this upcoming Sunday. Charles hasn’t seen any action since his injury and sat out all four preseason games.
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The Chiefs will likely bide their time with Charles, making his fantasy value plummet. When it comes to these kind of injuries, coaches won’t take a chance starting a star player that isn’t ready to hit the field yet. Charles is the kind of player that could make or break the Chiefs this season. Their offense is centered around him given the fact that the team can’t completely rely on quarterback Alex Smith. Without a decent running game, the whole offense will suffer.
Knile Davis has proved that he could fill in for Charles in the past. However, Davis may not be the favorite to receive the bulk of the carries. Spencer Ware is looking more like the player who will be the featured running back in Charles’ absence. Ware is a definitely worth a waiver flier going into week one. Only the Kansas City Chiefs know how long it’s going to take Charles to get back into football shape. Ware makes a great RB2 option or just simply a handcuff for Charles’ fantasy owners in all formats.
Ware’s only threat is Charcandrick West, who is also recovering from an injury. If he does end up being active for the game, West’s snaps will be limited. The Chiefs aren’t going to risk injuring another running back. Ware has worked as the clear-cut starter this preseason thus far. Whenever he hit the field last season, Ware made something of the time he was given. Spencer Ware is a “must add” option going into the first week of the 2016 NFL season.
Anthony Sciarratta is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Anthony follow him on Twitter @ant_sciarratta.