2011 NFL Fantasy Drafts: Why Jamaal Charles Should Be the No. 1 Pick

Obviously, the state of the NFL is in complete turmoil. Will there be a season? Hard to say, but we have to still prepare like there will be one.

We continue our series of analyzing the No. 1 pick in 2011 fantasy football drafts with Jamaal Charles.

Charles finished second in the league last year with 1,467 yards. He did so while sharing carries with Thomas Jones, who actually had 15 more carries than Charles.

Jones ran for 896 yards. Jones’s 3.7 yards per carry paled by comparison to Charles’s 6.4 yards per carry, which was second in the league to Michael Vick. It’s mind-boggling why Jones got more work, but rest assured that won’t be the case in 2011.

Charles was also effective catching the ball out of the backfield, adding 468 yards on 45 receptions. He had 40 catches in 2009 for 297 yards. With more touches in 2011, Charles can challenge for the league lead in total yards.

Initially, there were questions as to whether Jamaal could hold up for a full season. The bulk of the damage Charles did in 2009 came in the second half, when he had fresh legs.

Charles more than put those questions to rest. In his last 24 games, Charles has averaged 127.5 total yards per game. He’s every bit as explosive as any running back in the league, sporting a career 6.0 yards per carry.

Charles tied for sixth with 10 runs of 20 yards or more. Despite basically playing only half a season in 2009, he was tied for eight with nine 20-plus yard runs.

The knock on Charles is his lack of touchdowns. He combined for eight (five rushing, three receiving) last year and nine (seven rushing, one receiving, one kick return) in 2009.

Four of his five rushing touchdowns last year were from the 5-yard line. And in proving he’s capable of scoring on tough runs, I expect him to continue to excel near the goal line, thanks in part to his versatility in the passing game and the emergence of Dwayne Bowe.

I also think he will break more long touchdown runs next year.

Personally I wouldn’t take Charles with the No. 1 pick, but there is certainly a case to be made, especially if he receives 300-plus carries.


Also check out:

• Why Michael Vick Should be the No. 1 Fantasy Pick
• Why Arian Foster Should be the No. 1 Fantasy Pick
• Why Adrian Peterson Should be the No. 1 Fantasy Pick