Charles in Charge?

Ken Kelly Posted On May 2, 2017

The Broncos wasted no time in boosting their running back corps after the draft by agreeing to terms with former Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles on a one-year contract. Charles will now attempt to prove he’s healthy and over the knee injuries that have forced him to miss all but eight games over the past two years. He’s passed his physical and the Broncos are convinced he’s going to be able to contribute this season, so there’s fallout from a dynasty perspective. Let’s take a look at the parties involved:

Jamaal Charles, RB DEN

Over nine years with the Chiefs, Charles has truly been one of the most dynamic and productive running backs in both fantasy and reality. During that span, he’s rushed for a whopping 7,260 yards and 43 touchdowns, while adding 285 catches, 2,457 receiving yards and 20 more scores while leading many dynasty teams to the promised land. Charles is one of the NFL’s all-time leaders in yards per carry average (5.5) and has been nothing short of a superstar ever since entering the NFL in 2008. Unfortunately, he’s been having trouble recovering from his latest leg injury and has basically lost two seasons back-to-back, leading the Chiefs to finally move on from one of their best players of all-time. At age 30, the injuries were an obvious red flag for teams looking to sign him but Denver has seen enough of him as an opponent after he’s torched them for years and have decided to take the plunge and for just $1 million in base salary, it’s likely well worth it.

[am4show have=’g1;’ guest_error=’sub_message’ user_error=’sub_message’ ]

In Denver, Charles will compete with CJ Anderson for touches in what now looks like a fairly crowded backfield. If he shows he has some of the explosiveness back, he’ll quickly take value away from Anderson. Just don’t expect the pre-injury Charles to all of a sudden be back – he’s a complementary back now. At this point, my guess would be if there were 400 carries to give away in Denver, Anderson would get around 230, Charles would get 130 and Devontae Booker would get around 40. However, if Charles shows he can regain his early career form, this is going to get very interesting in a hurry. If he doesn’t, Anderson is going to be a buy low for contenders in dynasty leagues. If you’re a Charles owner and someone offers you pre-injury value, it goes without saying you should jump on that as well.

CJ Anderson, RB DEN

Anderson owners can’t be thrilled with this development. However, he was always going to lose work on third downs and now that work is just likely going to Charles instead of Devontae Booker. His ADP is going to be interesting to monitor and is sure to go down now, though. Some are going to see this signing as a death blow to his value but it really affects the player one down on this list much more.

Devontae Booker, RB DEN

It’s been a quick fall from grace for Booker. At this time last year, he was a coveted rookie being taken at the beginning of round two or even the first round of rookie drafts. A year later, his ineffectiveness is quickly frustrating the Broncos and it’s clear they’re losing faith in him as a runner. If you believe in him, this is also buy low opportunity. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much to get excited about so far and it’s clear the Broncos are souring on him. The chart below will be very interesting to track:

charleschart

Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, QBs DEN

Whoever wins this job will have another great weapon to utilize. Right now, it looks like Siemian is the odds on favorite to start but the leash is going to be very short and Lynch is undoubtedly going to get his shot sooner, rather than later.

De’Angelo Henderson, RB DEN

Henderson was a late round draft pick of the Broncos and will struggle to find playing time now that Charles is in the fold. He’s likely battling Bernard Pierce for a roster spot but has to be the favorite for it after the Broncos used a valuable draft choice on him.

Bernard Pierce, RB DEN

Remember when Pierce was a coveted dynasty asset? Those days are long gone and he’s going to face an uphill battle to make this team.

With Adrian Peterson, Marshawn Lynch and Charles all finding new homes over the past two weeks, things are starting to take form. LeGarrette Blount is likely the next back to sign and, as always, we’ll bring you quick analysis when it happens.

[/am4show]

Author
Recent Posts

Ken Kelly

Co-Founder at DynastyLeagueFootball

Ken is a corporate trainer by day an a tireless editor of dynasty content by night. His passion for the World Champion Seattle Seahawks is second only to his love of fantasy football and the dynasty format.

Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK