Jamaal Charles' Updated 2014 Fantasy Outlook Heading into Week 3

When Andy Reid tells reporters a high ankle sprain "doesn't look to be real severe," apparently you listen. The Kansas City Chiefs coach appears right on the money with his assessment of running back Jamaal Charles, who was back at the portion of the practice open to media on Thursday. 

Charles sat out of practice Wednesday after hurting his ankle in Week 2's loss to the Denver Broncos. It's unclear how much Charles participated outside the media session; the Chiefs listed him as a "limited" participant, which typically means he went through some but not all of team drills.

There won't be any real definitive word on his status until Friday, when Kansas City will issue a distinction on where he stands. In all likelihood, Charles will remain in "questionable" purgatory until Sunday, if for no other reason than to force the Dolphins into preparing for arguably the NFL's most dynamic running back.

Either way, this is promising news for fantasy owners—a group that was undoubtedly resigned to seeing Charles sit out at least this Sunday, if not the next couple. High ankle sprains are typically given a lengthier recovery period because it entails damage to the ligaments and is thus more likely to recur or limit a player's range of motion.

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

They are almost never recoverable within the six-day rest period between games. For instance, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Colts defensive lineman Arthur Jones will miss two to four weeks with his high ankle sprain suffered Monday night. That's a much more typical window for a return, and many times the effects can linger weeks or months past a player's return date.

Using history as a barometer, it was difficult to envision Charles playing. But perhaps we should have been taking Reid more seriously when he spoke to the media this week. The Chiefs coach, while at once playing coy and confirming Charles' diagnosis, downplayed the severity of the injury on Monday. 

"These things take time, but it doesn't look to be a real severe one," Reid told reporters. "What does that mean? We'll see."

Reid's degrees of severity understandably drew some laughs around the league. Grantland's Bill Barnwell and Robert Mays took to calling him Dr. Andy Reid on their podcast earlier this week. And, hearing the audio of the press conference, it's hard to not to snicker a little bit. Reid sounded like a mechanic telling you that the transmission went in your car but your model is one of the "cheaper ones" to replace.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

For now, though, it seems like Andrew W. Reid M.D. had a point. Charles being in practice is a positive sign. The Chiefs being at 0-2 and their playoff hopes already dangling in a division that features Denver and San Diego also adds some desperation to the mix. They're one of a handful of teams desperate enough to maybe roll the dice and have Charles in the lineup.

Is any of this a good enough reason to do the same and keep Charles as a starter? NOOOOOPE.

First of all, there remains a slim chance Charles actually gets on the field on Sunday. He has to be cleared by team doctors, and the risk of re-injury is high without some serious rest. The chance that Charles is anywhere near 100 percent against Miami is zero.

If he's in the lineup, the best bet is him being used in limited packages as a decoy. He might receive a handful of carries to keep the defense honest, but the lion's share of the work should go to Knile Davis, who looked fine after taking over for Charles last week. Davis rushed for 79 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries and added six receptions for 26 yards.

"I don't think it will change much from what you saw [Sunday]," Reid told reporters of Davis' role. "He was involved in a lot of different areas. I'm not saying number of carries or anything, but you saw him going in and playing a few different ways."

If anything, Charles playing would only limit Davis' value. The ex-Arkansas speedster was a high-priority waiver claim in leagues he wasn't yet available and was a clear-cut starter in most expert rankings. ESPN's consensus had him 10th heading into Thursday night, and my initial outlook Monday afternoon had him 15th. We'll have to wait until Friday's practice report to get a better indication, but if Charles is looking like he's going to play, both guys will be outside my top 20.

With a 4:25 p.m. ET start, the scheduling gods aren't doing anyone any favors. There are only three late-afternoon games, and the other two feature running backs currently owned in both leagues. If Charles is active and Lamar Miller is hanging on your bench, then maybe slot him in ahead of the Kansas City guys. Davis remains an excellent play if, as expected, Charles sits out.

Just do yourself a favor and avoid this situation altogether if it's unsolved Sunday morning. Charles isn't going to be healthy enough to produce at a high level against a decent Miami run defense, and his presence alone is enough to make me wary of Davis.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.