The fantasy world suffered its biggest blow of the season on Sunday. Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles suffered a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season. He tore his left ACL in 2011 and tore his right one on Sunday. Obviously, he should be dropped in all re-draft leagues.
Here are some other pickups for owners in a tight spot at running back right now. Plus, teams could have a lot of bye-week issues going forward.
Here are some players to add this week:
Charcandrick West, Kansas City Chiefs (owned in 11 percent of leagues)
Wake up, Mr. West! He is getting most of the snaps and he seems to have the inside track going forward. He tore it up in the preseason with 28 carries for 136 rushing yards and also caught six passes for 45 yards and one score. West has been getting much more work than Knile Davis and should get the reps.
Fantasy owners shouldn't think he's the savior, but he's worth spending some nice FAAB dollar on.
Duke Johnson, Cleveland Browns (owned in 49 percent of leagues)
He started and he looked great. In Sunday's win against a good Baltimore Ravens D, Johnson rushed nine times for 22 yards to go with six catches and 55 yards. He also played on 20 more snaps than Isaiah Crowell.
If you miss out on West, Johnson is a very good backup plan. Both should be high on your waiver priority.
Knile Davis, Kansas City Chiefs (owned in 14 percent of leagues)
As said above, the Knile days are not right now. That could change if West flops, but Davis is not the top guy. He should still be claimed because maybe he revives his fantasy stock. Although, he was one of the worst backs last year, according to Pro Football Focus.
Darren McFadden, Dallas Cowboys (owned in 35 percent of leagues)
He is taking over as the passing back with Lance Dunbar (knee) out for the season. He caught nine balls for 62 yards to go with five carries for 16 yards. If you miss the boat on West or Johnson, McFadden is a fine pickup in PPR leagues.
Thomas Rawls, Seattle Seahawks (owned in 48 percent of leagues)
The bad news is that his best value is behind him. The good news is that he has the No. 2 job locked down. He is probably already owned, but he should remain owned as a high-end handcuff for an injured Marshawn Lynch.
Theo Riddick, Detroit Lions (owned in 6 percent of leagues)
Another PPR guy, Riddick has pushed rookie phenom Ameer Abdullah to the bench and it could be for a while. Abdullah is losing a lot of steam and he certainly won't get goal-line work because of his fumbling issues. Riddick also out-snapped every other back with 52, compared to just 15 for AA and 30 for Zach Zenner.
You probably can't start Riddick yet, but he's worth a grab in PPR leagues.
Charles Sims, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (owned in 19 percent of leagues)
Doug Martin looked great, but Sims was no slouch either with 51 rushing yards and 85 receiving yards. He's got the handcuff job locked up, but he's not going to be worth using right now. If you have Martin, it makes even more sense to add him.
Chris Thompson, Washington (owned in 5 percent of leagues)
Running back Matt Jones has a toe injury and could be out for Week 6. Thompson would only be worth a stash in deep leagues or for owners with bye-week blues.
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