Who is Jamaal Charles’ backup?

Jamaal Charles is out with a serious knee injury — so who is his backup?

The Kansas City Chiefs are on their way to defeating the Chicago Bears and improving their record to 2-3, but it may be coming at a serious price. Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles went down with a non-contact knee injury, and it may be a torn ACL.

This would undoubtedly put an end to Charles’ season and force the Chiefs to turn to Knile Davis as their starting running back. Fortunately for the Chiefs and Charles fantasy owners, Davis has proven to be a reliable fill-in before. Charles was limited early last season with an ankle injury, so Davis received the lion’s share of the carries and rushed for 318 yards and three touchdowns from Weeks 2-4.

Davis may become an even more reliable weapon for the Chiefs if he can take advantage of the presence of wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, who provides a deep threat that quarterback Alex Smith did not have in his first two seasons with the Chiefs.

Thanks to last season’s fantasy production, Davis became a popular handcuff for owners and was even taken in nearly every draft despite receiving very little playing time when Charles is healthy. The handcuff strategy has proven to be successful in some cases, as Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams proved in the first two weeks while filling in for Le’Veon Bell.

Although his playing time was limited to start his NFL career, the 2013 third-round pick became a touchdown vulture right away by rushing for four touchdowns on just 70 carries in his rookie season before running for another six in 2014.

If you’re a fantasy owner sitting at the top of the waiver wire, Davis might be an option for you to pick up. It’s also worth mentioning that third stringer Charcandrick West was getting serious work after Charles was taken out of the game. Traditionally, Davis has been the backup for Charles, but West might be worth a look of the Chiefs are going to run with a two back system moving forward.

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