The result: 19 total touchdowns from a guy who had previously totaled 24 in five seasons. He also saw 18 pass targets inside the red zone, which was more than double his total from any previous campaign. While he's always been known for his pure speed and elite cutting ability, Charles had – perhaps for fear of brittleness – been largely sheltered from duty near the end zone before last year.īut in 2013, the Chiefs handed Charles the ball 15 times inside the five-yard line – matching his total in that category from the prior four seasons combined.
Charles' status at the top of the depth chart is unquestioned, but with Knile Davis having proven his worth as a backup, expect the Chiefs to keep a close eye on Charles' workload this season as they attempt to keep him in one piece.Īlways a fantasy stud when healthy, Charles' value managed to take a dramatic leap forward last season thanks to new Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who handed Charles the consistent goal-line duty he's always been missing. While he's not afraid to lower his pads to gain extra yards, at 5-11, 199, he's not exactly physical, and last season's various bumps and bruises caused the Chiefs to shy away from using him in more demanding roles, reducing his goal-line carries and cutting his targets by 30 from 2013. When he's fully healthy, Charles remains one of the league's most dynamic backs, combining outstanding burst and elusiveness with excellent receiving skills and top-end speed few players can match, even after his seven seasons in the NFL. Foot and ankle issues resulted in just 46 combined yards through the first three weeks of the season, and while he went on a tear following the Chiefs' Week 6 bye, including an eight-game touchdown streak, by year's end knee, ankle and hamstring woes slowed him once again.
While Charles recorded the fifth 1,000-yard rushing season of his career, last year was something of a disappointment thanks in large part to a number of nagging injuries. Your view of Charles might come down to how you view a second-round fantasy pick and how confident your ability is in the running back's ability to bounce back from his injury. Perhaps that's why the early returns in the NFFC have Charles kicked to the second tier of RB.
Charles is also entering his age-30 season, the ominous part of an RB's career arc. to steer Charles away from excessive goal-line work, perhaps- not that we have any tangible indication they're going to do that. It would make theoretical sense for Andy Reid and Co. It will be interesting to see if the Chiefs scale back Charles' workload a bit, now fully cognizant of what their two reserves can do. And for a smaller back, he gets into the end zone with regularity - 38 scores in his last 35 games.
His 8.4 YPR were just an eyelash under his career mark. He went for better than five yards a carry for the eighth straight season, a remarkable achievement. From an efficiency standpoint, Charles kept his play at an elite level last year. The Chiefs certainly missed his presence on offense for the final three months, but it didn't sink the team - Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West were capable fill-ins, and KC wound up making the playoffs. For the second time in five years, Charles had a blowout - the second torn ACL of his career.
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