Week 2 vs. Dallas Cowboys
Playing in his first game as a Bronco, Jamaal Charles received 10 carries for 40 yards last Monday night versus the Chargers. He showed some speed on a couple outside rushes, but a fourth-quarter fumble put him on the bench to stay. C.J. Anderson was given the rock twice as often as Charles and will continue to be the featured back. Right now, Anderson is the Denver back to own, so keep Charles on your bench.
Week 1 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
There were some doubts as to whether Jamaal Charles would make the Broncos roster, but the veteran showed signs of his former self and prevailed. Head coach Vance Joseph eased Charles back on to the field, but the 10-year pro proved his knee could still hold up—at least for now. Charles will backup C.J. Anderson and likely receive between 10-15 touches in the Monday night opener. While he’s still a threat to bust a long one, keep Charles on your bench in Week 1.
Fantasy Upside
During his heyday in Kansas City, Jamal Charles was the best RB in the game. During the four-year span between 2010-2014 (excluding his injury-plagued 2011 season), Charles amassed nearly 5,300 rushing yards, over 1,600 receiving yards and scored a total of 47 touchdowns. In his previous 20 games during 2014-2015, Charles averaged 93.6 total yards on 17 touches, resulting in 18.1 fantasy points per game. The Broncos ground game struggled last season, but a beefed up offensive line should help.
Fantasy Downside
Injuries have been the only thing to slow down Charles. He missed all but two games in 2011 and has played in a total of just eight contests the past two seasons. Charles is coming off of a torn ACL and also underwent another operation to get the meniscus trimmed in the same knee. At age 30, he’s on the downside of his career and will be battling C.J. Anderson for the starting nod.
2017 Bottom Line
At the least, Charles heads into the preseason as the No. 2 RB on the Broncos depth chart. However, if he has a strong camp, remains healthy and can show signs of his former self, he has a decent chance at supplanting Anderson as the team's top back. His current listing by position is in the 40s for RBs, but is trending up, and will continue to do so if he can still cut and outrun defenses.
Week 7 vs. New Orleans
Jamaal Charles returned in full force last week, but it wasn't enough to take over Spencer Ware's majority hold in the backfield. Still, Charles finished with a decent 47 yards and a touchdown.
This week, he gets a favorable matchup against the Saints. New Orleans has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing backs this season, which should allow for some production by Charles and Ware.
We like Charles as a strong RB2 play in a favorable matchup.
Week 6 vs. Oakland
Jamaal Charles says he's ready to take off the training wheels. He technically returned in Week 4, but he only finished with two carries. This week, his role is expected to increase in a favorable matchup against the Raiders.
We expect Charles and Ware to split touches, but it's impossible to tell how K.C. will do so. Since it's a great matchup, we expect Charles to put up RB2 numbers in his return.
Fantasy Upside
Jamaal Charles was producing at a RB1 rate in the five games he played last season. The coaches know the talent they have their backfield, and Charles is able to take advantage in both the passing and rushing game.
In addition to his talent, Charles plays in a run-first system (Kansas City finished sixth in the league in rushing yards as a team in 2015). He has a safe hold on the starting job, and he hasn't showed any signs of slowing down.
Fantasy Downside
Even though Charles is the clear starter, the Chiefs did just fine without him last season as Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West took over. Those two haven't gone away, and will likely have a good role in 2016 in an effort to keep Charles fresh and healthy.
Health will be a big issue for Charles moving forward as he's now had two seasons cut short due to devastating injuries. He'll also turn 30 years old in December, and backs start to decline in production at that age.
Bottom Line
Charles is used to having his touches limited, so Ware and West shouldn't deter you too much. His age could end up being a factor, but he's still a back that has averaged over 5.0 yards per carry in every single season he's played.
Charles should be viewed as one of the elite backs this season.
Week 5 vs. Detroit
After scoring touchdowns in the first three games of the season, Jamaal Charles was held out of the end zone in Week 4. However, Charles still generated 145 yards, once again providing the dependability fantasy owners have counted on for years.
The Chiefs are done with a daunting stretch that saw them play Denver, Green Bay, and Cincinnati. The Bears, who may come into Kansas City flat after winning their first game of the season, are allowing 119.3 rushing yards per game. They have only allowed two rushing touchdowns, but that is partly because opposing passing games have burned the Bears with big plays and have not been lining up as much near the goal line. No matter what slant the statistics provide, Chicago’s defense is not a daunting obstacle and Charles is one of the best backfield plays this week.
Week 4 at Cincinnati
After Jamaal Charles lost a pair of fumbles in Week 2, one of which led to directly to Denver’s game-winning touchdown, it was pretty easy to envision Charles making amends in Week 3. And he sure did, with 82 total yards and three touchdowns.
If Charles were not Charles, there would be legitimate concern about his outlook against Cincinnati. And maybe there should still be concern, as the Bengals have not allowed a rushing touchdown and are limiting opponents to just 76.7 yards per game. Nevertheless, Charles has a strong history of thriving even in the toughest of matchups. This superstar RB1 will find a way to prosper.
Week 3 at Green Bay
For many years, the Chiefs and fantasy owners have rallied behind Jamaal Charles much like Average Joe’s gymnasium rallied around legendary Dodgeball coach Patches O’Houlihan. That's why it was so shocking to see Charles fumble the ball twice in Kansas City’s 31-24 loss to Denver, as his second fumble resulted in the winning touchdown for the Broncos. Somewhere out there, a fantasy owner in a league where points are lost for fumbles probably lost their game thanks to Jamaal’s inability to hold onto the ball.
But how on Earth can anyone be that hard on Charles? Despite the downer of the turnovers, he still rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown, which helped plenty of fantasy owner enjoy victory celebrations. While Green Bay’s run defense was better in Week 2, the Packers allow a whopping 154 rushing yards per game. Charles will be a top RB1, especially with Kansas City hoping to keep Aaron Rodgers off the field as much as possible.
Week 2 vs Denver
Although Jamaal Charles was bottled up on the ground by Houston’s defense in Week 1, rushing for 57 yards on 16 carries, all was not lost as Charles caught five passes for 46 yards and a touchdown. In other words, it was another successful day at the office for one of fantasy’s most reliable performers.
Denver has the potential to make things difficult for Charles. The Broncos, under experienced defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, held Baltimore to 73 rushing yards in a 19-13 victory, with the Ravens averaging just 3.2 yards per carry. Safety T.J. Ward, who was suspended for the opener, will be making his 2015 debut. While this is not the easiest of matchups for Charles, he almost always finds a way to get the job done and will be a firm RB1 Thursday night.
