The Kansas City chiefs were one of the best rushing teams in the NFL last season and after Andy Reid took over as head coach, many expected him to continue that, but after Jamaal Charles was injured in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he may have to change things up with young backs Knile Davis and Cyrus Gray.
According to ESPN.com, Charles suffered a bruise on his quadriceps against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday after another player stepped on his leg and while he hasn't been ruled out for next week against the Dallas Cowboys, fantasy football owners are already worried, as Charles had an injury scare in the preseason. Charles suffered an ankle and foot injury in the preseason and while it did not end up being serious, it was something fantasy owners have been aware of an after Charles missed the entire season two years ago, many have kept a close eye on the situation.
For fantasy owners looking for replacements on the Chiefs or for handcuffs going forward, the best two options are Knile Davis and Cyrus Gray after they contributed on Sunday. Charles finished with 16 carries for 77 yards and a touchdown while averaging nearly 5.0 yards per carry and he also added three catches for 23 yards. Last season Charles had over 1,700 total yards and was one of the best players in fantasy and now the team will try and take it easy on him this week before evaluating him ahead of the Dallas game.
Charles made over 40 catches last season out of the backfield and PPR owners are likely freaking at the prospect of losing him this season. The best options are the rookie Davis and the vet Gray and many saw Davis as a sleeper option in the preseason due to his speed and the possibility that Charles could get hurt. One issue for Reid though is ball security and with Davis not that great in college at holding onto the ball, he may give Gray more chances, as he dropped some passes in the preseason as well.
Gray came into the game against the Jaguars first and had just two carries for eight years and he also had one catch from six yards, while David finished with 12 yards rushing and one catch for five years in the game. Davis showed on the kickoff return team that he has blazing speed in the preseason, taking one back over 100 yards and another almost 80 and Reid could try and harness that in the backfield. Reid wants to continue running the ball and even if Charles is healthy, he may be limited in the game against the Giants.
After seeing what Dallas did to the Giants and David Wilson, he may not rely on Davis as much and that is something to watch going into Week 2.