Week 19 at New England
It was not that long ago when Spencer Ware was second in line for carries in Kansas City’s backfield committee behind Charcandrick West. Over the last two games, Ware has flipped that equation upside down. Ware received twice as many carries as West during last Saturday’s annihilation of Houston, and was way more successful, rushing for 67 yards and a touchdown.
Unfortunately for Spencer, he suffered an ankle injury along the way. He did return to practice on Thursday after missing some earlier sessions and is expected to play against New England, but it is safe to wonder if the ankle injury will limit him enough to potentially open the door for West to reclaim the lead role. It is not an easy matchup regardless, as New England gave up just eight rushing touchdowns all season and held opponents under 100 yards per game. Ware is certainly a viable flex candidate, but his upside is not what it would be if he were fully healthy.
Week 18 at Houston
Spencer Ware seized the moment in Kansas City’s final game of the regular season, rushing for 76 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries as his colleague in the Chiefs backfield, Charcandrick West, was unable to get anything going. Ware wore down the Oakland defense in a 23-17 victory and may have earned more playing time in the process, which would be a huge plus since he already gets the call in short yardage and goal line situations.
Nonetheless, there has been no concrete information indicating West is going to take more of a back seat to Ware. And it may not matter against a fairly formidable Houston run defense. Owners would be wise not to overpay for Spencer in the wake of Week 17. He has some upside as a flex, but could just as easily disappoint.
Week 17 vs Oakland
After essentially being a healthy scratch in Week 15, Spencer Ware returned in Week 16, but carried the ball just five times for 15 yards, taking a clear back seat to Charcandrick West in the Kansas City backfield. As an efficient short yardage player, Ware is capable of finding the end zone at any given time, but with a low amount of touches coming his way overall, he needs to be avoided during the final game of the regular season.
Week 16 vs Chiefs
Spencer Ware was pretty much invisible last Sunday in Baltimore. Ware was active, but given that he was still dealing with an injury suffered in a Week 14 win over San Diego, he was under the designation of “break glass in case of emergency” and did not receive a carry.
Ware is expected to be more involved this week in a cake matchup with Cleveland’s atrocious run defense. Nevertheless, Charcandrick West is going to get the most opportunities in the Kansas City backfield. If you are desperate, Ware could be started as a flex in the hope he might get some work around the goal line, but overall there are a lot of players with more upside out there.
Week 14 vs San Diego
Although Charcandrick West received more work than Spencer Ware in Week 13, it was Ware who was more active close to the goal line. And it was Ware who scored on a 10-yard touchdown run, although he was limited to 25 total yards by Oakland’s defense.
Ware’s earlier performance against San Diego is a big reason why he has become a significant part of Kansas City’s offense. Replacing an injured West back in Week 11, Ware annihilated the Charger defense for 101 total yards and two touchdowns. Although Ware’s touchdown dependence makes him a bit of a risk, it is hard to envision the Chiefs not being in scoring position quite a bit on Sunday against the crumbling Chargers. Spencer should be a capable RB2 or flex for owners this weekend.
Week 13 at Oakland
With the Kansas City backfield all to himself in Week 12 due to Charcandrick West being inactive, Spencer Ware burned the Bills for 114 yards and a touchdown. The Chiefs seem to be specializing in unearthing backs these days, as Ware and West have both performed very well since Jamaal Charles was lost for the season.
The question now becomes how the backfield will shape up going forward. As the more powerful back of the two, Ware could end up as the bigger touchdown threat, but the versatile West projects to get more volume. If you are desperate this week, Ware would not be the worst flex option out there. Overall, though, it might be best to use someone else until we get a better idea of how the Chiefs will distribute the workload between their talented young backs.
Week 12 vs Buffalo
After Charcandrick West exited last Sunday’s divisional showdown with San Diego due to injury, Spencer Ware came out of nowhere to carve up the Chargers to the tune of 101 total yards and two touchdowns.
Ware’s stock for Week 12 is entirely dependent on the status of West, who as of Thursday had yet to practice. Although Buffalo presents a much tougher test than San Diego, Ware would get enough volume as a starter in Kansas City’s run-oriented offense to be a credible option for fantasy squads. Otherwise, he would be nothing more than a flex possessing a fair amount of downside given how well West has played since taking over for Jamaal Charles.
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