So apparently it doesn't matter who is starting at running back for the Kansas City Chiefs; they're going to produce no matter what. The Chiefs rank sixth in rushing yards per game (124.3) and yards per carry (4.6) and first in rushing touchdowns (15). That's welcome news for fantasy football owners who have had to cycle through KC runners like laundry.
Jamaal Charles is the big name out of Kansas City and was likely your first-round pick. He was enjoying a solid start to the season before tearing an ACL in October and leaving owners reeling for a handcuff. The question then became: Charcandrick West or Knile Davis. This particular fantasy writer happened to go with the latter, which could not have been more of a wrong choice.
West quickly emerged as a solid contributor before he also went down with a minor injury, leaving the unheralded Spencer Ware as The Guy for the Chiefs over the last two weeks. But no problem, Ware is impressing in the starting lineup, leaving owners to question which RB they should stick with moving forward.
The answer: all of them, perhaps.
"Then there's the impressive running attack, employing a solid, next-man up policy," ESPN Fantasy Football Insider Eric Karabell wrote. "Ware, a Seattle Seahawks sixth-round draft pick in 2013 signed by Kansas City only when Jamaal Charles shredded a knee last month, turned 19 rushing attempts into 114 yards and a touchdown Sunday, including an impressive 3.1 yards after contact. After the Charles injury Charcandrick West zoomed to top-10 running back status by mid-November and with him sitting out Week 12 because of a hamstring injury Ware stepped up. One wonders if even Knile Davis could thrive these days. We're at the point that whomever the Chiefs start at running back is worth owning and starting in fantasy..."
Chances are West will regain the starting job once fully healthy. Over his last four games, West is averaging 119 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown per game. He's also leading the team's RBs in snaps and touches by a wide margin. He's the No. 1 option when he's able to play.
But Ware is worth owning. On the season he has carried the ball 36 times for 234 yards (6.5 YPC) and four touchdowns. Over the last two weeks he has rushed for 210 yards and three touchdowns. Should West's hamstring continue to act up or should the Chiefs divide the RB workload a bit more evenly, Ware could become flex-worthy.
