Denver Broncos: What’s Jamaal Charles’ fantasy value?
By Bruce Matson
Can Jamaal Charles return to his old form and become a top tier fantasy option again in his first season with the Denver Broncos?
Jamaal Charles signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Denver Broncos earlier this off-season after the Kansas City Chiefs released him, clearing $6,187,500 in cap space. The goal for Charles is quite simple: Prove to everyone and himself that his knee is fully healthy and regain his status of being one of the top backs in the league.
Charles was drafted by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He was the face of the franchise from 2008-14, rushing for a total of 6,856 and 38 touchdowns during that time span. In 2015, he was placed on injured reserve due to suffering an ACL tear. He was still experiencing complications from the knee surgery in 2016, causing him to get another surgery to fix the issue.
If Charles can return to full health and regain his old form, then he could be a steal for the Broncos and be one of the top backs in fantasy football. Even if he does return to full health, it doesn’t mean that he will be the same “Jamaal Charles” from previous years.
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He’s currently 30 years old and his better days are behind him. It’s been two years since he’s played a full season. The odds are highly likely that he has lost a step and will experience a depreciation in most of his athletic attributes. But it’s not outside the realm of possibilities that he beats the odds and finishes the 2017 season as one of the top backs in the league.
Opportunity within the offense is another factor that could play into his fantasy value. C.J. Anderson and Devontae Booker are both very talented running backs. Charles will compete with both of them for touches out of the backfield which could limit the amount of touches he could potentially receive. He will need at least 200 carries while being very active in the passing game to even has a chance at becoming a fantasy relevant asset. With two other backs on the team who are also very talented, the competition for carries might hinder his chances at being the team’s proverbial bell cow running back.
Per Myfantasyleague.com, Charles currently holds a 157.99 ADP in redraft leagues, making him a 14th round pick in the average 12-team league. He’s usually drafted in the last few rounds, which is fair since he hasn’t proven himself to be a reliable fantasy asset in the last two years. He’s worth the gamble this late in the draft, because if can return to his old form and dominate like he did just a few years ago, then he could be the biggest steal in fantasy drafts. There’s literally no risk involved, because his price tag if virtually free, so you can easily cut bait from him if things don’t workout.
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At one time, Charles was considered one of the top running backs in the league. Now, he’s currently on the ousts of his career. Right now, in fantasy football, he’s just a stash at the end of your bench just in case he erupts and returns to being one of the top running back sin the league. He may never be a perennial top five fantasy back ever gain, but hopefully, he can return to full health and be able to play a large market share of the snaps for the Broncos this season.