Jamaal Charles was a top-5 pick in fantasy football last season. When he went down with a torn ACL the hopes of fantasy owners went up in flames where Charles was laying on the ground in pain. It would appear that the team thinks that Charles will be back for Week 1 of the 2016 regular season. Kansas City Star beat writer Terez A. Paylor is reporting that Chiefs GM John Dorsey is “optimistic” that Charles will be ready for the opening week of the year.
Charles has been in the league long enough where he wouldn’t need the number of reps that a rookie may need but if he is going to be truly ready for Week 1, he will need to get off the PUP list and onto the practice field sooner than later. He is still someone who will be taken high in fantasy drafts this season because of the Chiefs wanting to have their running backs to not only run with the ball but catch it as well out of the backfield.
Charles is someone that owners are going to target in the second round or even late in the first round. Even if he were to miss the first game of the season, he is still worth having in mind early on in the draft. He is someone who probably will go before Thomas Rawls or Lamar Miller in the draft. If Charles is right, he is going to have at least 1,500 yards of all-purpose yards this coming season. He will have to prove that he can come off the ACL injury in less than a year.
