Fantasy Football Player Information
This is the first article released in what is to be a weekly analysis of NFL players you should get to know before your 2010 fantasy football draft.
Jamaal Charles, Age 22
Running Back 5’11”, 199 lbs
College: University of Texas
Drafted: Kansas City Chiefs 2008 NFL Draft, 3rd Round, 73rd pick overall
The Kansas City Chiefs used their third round pick to add Jamaal Charles to a stable of running backs with many question marks. Would Larry Johnson still be a chief? Would he be traded? Would one of the other backs step up and claim the job? Could Jamaal Charles carry the load as “The Man”?
In his first season as a pro (2008), Jamaal played just enough to give the staff and look at what he might be in the future. He rushed the ball 67 times for 357 yards (5.3 avg.) and zero TDs. Charles also proved he could be used out of the back field as he caught 27 of 40 passes targeted to him for 272 yards and one touchdown. His best 2008 game came in week nine against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he carried the ball 18 times for 106 yards (14.2 avg.). That was the only game Jamaal received double digit carries. His stats didn’t blow anyone away in 2008, from a fantasy point of view. His only presence on fantasy rosters was most likely in keeper leagues for future use and added depth.
The 2009 fantasy football season kicked off with Charles still in the free-agent pool in many leagues. He didn’t do much the first eight games to make anyone want him on their roster, (rush 23 for 116 yd. / 5.0 avg. / 0 TDs). Up to that point, the Chiefs held him to single digit carries. He got a few receptions out of the back field but it wasn’t enough to get anyone’s attention. Things changed dramatically beginning in week 10. Larry Johnson had been booted out of town and Jamaal Charles laid claim to the running back position. In his last seven weeks, he received no less than 14 carries per game (total of 142 in 7 games). He rumbled for 745 yards and five rushing TDs. He added to those totals, 32 receptions (4.57 avg./gm) out of 55 targets (7.85 avg./gm), 155 receiving yards (22.1 avg./gm), and 1 receiving TD. If he had played 16 games at that pace, he would have racked up some very impressive totals through 16 fantasy football weeks. See below.
RESULTS FOR 16 GAMES:
Rush: 19.4 per game, total = 310.4
Rush Yards: 101.3 per game, total = 1620.8
Rush TDs: .71 per game, total = 11.36
Receiving Targets: 4.6 per game, total = 73.6
Receptions: 3.14 per game, total = 50.24
Receiving Yards: 22.14 per game, total = 354.24
Receiving TDs: .14 TDs rec. per game, total = 2.24
All Purpose: touches (rush / rec.) 360.28, 1975.04 total yards, 13.6 TDs
FanaticFantasyFootball.com uses a scoring system that awards points per reception and awards bonus points, (1, 1.5, 2), for length of touchdown. So this is how we project Jamaal Charles for the 2010 season as we fully expect him to be “The Man” in KC.
Since Jamaal was used sparingly in the first nine games of the 09 season, he was pretty fresh going up against some tired defenses in the last seven weeks. We don’t think he’ll post the kind of numbers we projected for 2009 had he played all sixteen weeks. We do expect him to have a good year in 2010 though and wouldn’t mind having him on our own roster.
We look for Jamaal to carry the ball around 300 times and add 50 receptions giving him about 350 touches for the year (16 fantasy football games). If he stays healthy, we expect him to post about eight 100+ yard games and eight games between 50 and 80 yards giving him around 1300 rushing yards and 11 rushing TDs in 16 weeks. He should be able to catch another 50 balls and score a couple of TDs through the air, bringing his total TDs to 13 for the year. We expect Charles to put up around 300-330 fantasy points. That would place him among the top 6 running backs with the likes of Steven Jackson (STL) and Frank Gore (SFO). We’ll have to wait and see how the new Offensive Coordinator, Charlie Weis, plays his cards this year.
As far as drafting Charles this year (2010), if you’re in a keeper league he might not be available anymore. If he is available, grab him before someone else does. He will likely be gone if you wait for the next round. If you’re in a redraft league, expect someone to select Jamaal Charles somewhere in the first round or early in second round. Wait for the third round and you’ll probably kick yourself for not picking him when you had the chance. During the 2009 season Charles ranked as the #19 RB overall, and remember, he did the biggest part of that in the last seven games of the fantasy season. We expect him to crack the top 10 this year. Most fantasy teams didn’t get to take advantage of his week 17 game against Denver, when he carried 25 times for 259 yards and 2 TDs. A lot of your competition knows about Jamaal Charles. You should too. Get him on your team if you have the chance.
See all opinions: Round Table Members
Article provided by: James Piatt
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