Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles was forced from Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears with a right knee injury. Early reports are that the Chiefs fear Charles has torn his ACL, which would end his season.
Jamaal Charles goes down with knee injury; Chiefs, fantasy owners hold their breaths
The most consistently productive running back in the league this season went down Sunday with what might have been a season-ending injury. We break down the fantasy implications.
John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Charles had 12 carries for 58 yards and one catch for 26 more before getting injured Sunday in the Chiefs’ 18-17 loss. In his absence, the Chiefs used Charcandrick West, De’Anthony Thomas and Knile Davis for carries. West had seven for 31 yards and a catch for five more. Davis had two carries for two yards. Thomas had a carry for five yards and caught two passes for 24 yards and a touchdown, though his score came before Charles’ injury.
Fantasy impact: There’s no way around it; if Charles is out for the year, it’s a crushing blow to fantasy owners, who will have lost their first-round pick and a top-five overall draft pick. Even more frustratingly, most of those owners probably handcuffed Charles with Davis, who looked like he’d be next man up. But in the last couple weeks, West has seemingly leapfrogged Davis in the team’s pecking order, so even fantasy owners who planned ahead with a handcuff might have to scramble.
Charles will undergo an MRI Monday that will provide a more conclusive diagnosis; there’s still the chance it’s a lesser injury and that he’ll be out only a few weeks as opposed to the rest of the year. Even then, fantasy owners need to make plans to be Charles-less for a while. West looks like the best option in the Kansas City backfield, though Davis and even Thomas will probably get touches as well. There isn’t an easy answer for an extended Charles absence.
