Jamaal Charles Injury Makes Knile Davis a Legitimate Fantasy Replacement

Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles suffered a high ankle sprain in the team's 24-17 loss to the AFC West rival Denver Broncos in Week 2.

BJ Kissel of KCChiefs.com cited coach Andy Reid as the source regarding the specifics of Charles' injury:

While it's never good to see one of the elite backs in the NFL go down, injuries are part of the violent game of professional football. Many fantasy teams likely had Charles as a centerpiece for their success, but Charles' backup, Knile Davis, is a viable fill-in option.

Expecting No. 1-caliber production from Davis may seem far-fetched. However, the young ball-carrier has the skill set to thrive in the feature role until Charles returns.

To be clear, the time table for Charles coming back to the gridiron is unclear. Charles himself didn't help clarify things in his appreciative Twitter post:

Whether he's a temporary spot-start player or a longer-ranging replacement, Davis is worth pouncing on. Owned in a mere 61.5 percent of ESPN.com leagues as of 7 p.m. ET on Monday, Davis is 5'10", 227 pounds and runs with authority.

As a short-yardage option, he has already proven himself as a threat to get into the end zone. In the Broncos game, he relieved Charles and punched it in twice from two and four yards out.

NFL Fantasy Football highlighted how Davis has become a go-to option for the Chiefs in the scoring area:

In addition to carrying the rock 22 times for 79 yards in Denver, he had six receptions for 26 yards, increasing his fantasy value particularly in PPR leagues.

A career yards per carry of 3.5 won't blow anyone away, nor will Davis' lack of yards on his catches from Sunday's contest. With the unprecedented opportunity to settle into a starter's role, though, Davis can get into a rhythm, absorb contact and eventually wear down defenses.

As big as Davis is, he has surprising lateral quickness and agility, evident in that the Chiefs often deploy him as a kickoff returner. He took a kick 108 yards to the house last season as a rookie. Now the 2013 third-round pick has a better understanding of Reid's complex offense, so his fantasy upside is immense.

ESPN fantasy guru Matthew Berry offered high praise for Davis:

There isn't much depth behind Davis in the Kansas City backfield. Cyrus Gray (two carries, eight yards in Week 2) is the only current contender this side of Charles to challenge Davis for carries.

When Charles ran for 12 TDs in 2013, he scored once every 21.6 carries on average. On 93 career attempts, Davis has found paydirt six times—a trip to the end zone one in 15.5 carries. Davis has the frame to absorb a greater amount of punishment and has been lightly used to date.

If Charles somehow manages to play within the next two games, he likely will be limited to the point that Davis is the No. 1 back. The sample size is small, and Davis' proficiency on his touches are some cause for alarm and caution.

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

That said, the Chiefs have started 0-2 and are in need of a change in offensive philosophy.

As electric and explosive as Charles is, he isn't the biggest bruiser and is therefore susceptible to being banged up with a heavy workload. Now it's Davis' turn to take the lead role, a more physical runner with the vision to rip off yards in big chunks.

KC isn't going to win with Alex Smith averaging approximately 39 passes and 5.94 yards per attempt as he has through Week 2. Changing the game plan and using Charles' absence to their benefit would behoove the Chiefs, along with fantasy owners who take the mild risk of acquiring Davis.

Traveling to Miami and facing a Dolphins team in Week 3 that lost their top runner in Knowshon Moreno should allow the Chiefs to control time of possession as they did versus Denver (36:14).

Kansas City hung tough even against the likes of a sharp, Peyton Manning-led Broncos offense by pounding away with Davis as the go-to back, limiting Manning's time on the field toward the end. Two of the Chiefs' three second-half possessions totaled a combined 17:42.

Miami is the perfect foe to take the air out of football against, forcing unproven Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill to beat the Chiefs with his arm.

Moving Davis into the starter's role and expecting a lot out of him is a sound, short-term strategy for fantasy football owners and for the Chiefs to save their potentially disastrous 2014 season on the road this Sunday.

Knile Davis Projected Week 3 Stats: 27 carries, 102 yards, 2 TD; 3 receptions, 20 yards