Jamaal Charles returned for the Kansas City Chiefs in style Monday night and fantasy football owners were thrilled with the performance from the RB and while he is healthy after his injury, fantasy owners should keep Knile Davis as a handcuff option, as Charles could go down again at some point and Davis has shown that he can be a worthy surprise starter if Charles can't go.
Charles came into the season as the top fantasy football draft pick for many owners and his injury was tough to deal with because of that. Many owners shape their teams around high draft picks and with Charles likely going one or two, many were not prepared to lose him. Any owner that picked up Davis made a good move, as he played very well in his absence and while some may drop him now, it would be wise to hang onto Davis as a handcuff. Bobby Rainey also is a strong handcuff option for Doug Martin as he comes back from his injuries.
Davis showed that he can make an impact even when Charles is in the lineup and there is no guarantee that Charles won't go down again at some point this season. Davis is a speedy back and he has shown some explosiveness over the past few weeks and he did that on Monday night against the Patriots. The next matchup for the two backs is against the 49ers and that will be a tough test no matter how the game goes, as the Niners have a strong front and a solid rush defense.
Charles had 92 yards on Monday against the Patriots on 18 carries and he also added three catches for 16 yards and overall he had three touchdowns, including one on the ground and two receiving. Charles is a dual threat back and he may be the best of the bunch in the league. Last season he led the team in receptions and he is on his way to adding back to his total this season. Charles and Davis combined for nearly 200 yards against the Patriots and they both should be getting touches going forward, with Charles obviously staying as the lead back.
Davis had another solid game even with Charles back, as he had 107 yards and 16 carries and ended up leading the team in rushing. Davis had a 48 yard run and that obviously helped, but he has shown that he can be a strong option out of the backfield with Charles and he could get up 10 touches per game moving forward. This season Davis has 321 yards rushing and three touchdowns and he also has been solid with eight catches for 41 yards.
Charles came into the season after putting up some amazing stats last year and that included 1287 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground. Charles also added 70 catches for nearly 700 yards to lead the Chiefs and he had another seven scores that way. Alex Smith was strong once again and very accurate and this offense has the chance to be the best in the NFL. The team demolished the Patriots and now they have a tough matchup with the Niners.