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Fantasy Football Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickup: RB Knile Davis

Knile Davis, Fantasy Football Week 3, Jamaal Charles

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Jamaal Charles has been quite the disappointment for fantasy owners — of course, that’s due to his injury. He should return soon, but Knile Davis is making it a lot harder for the Kansas City Chiefs to bring him back. Davis has been a dominant force, averaging 20 points in the last two Charles-less games; he is also leading the league in rushing touchdowns with three.

If you haven’t already picked him up, he should get priority access on your waiver wire. He’s not just a wise investment to back up Charles on your team, but in general, as he’ll add considerable value for the foreseeable future. Even when Charles comes back, Davis will still have value because of how impressively he’s played. The Chiefs should realize they need to protect Charles as much as they can, and subbing him with Davis won’t subtract any value. This will be particularly true when it comes to goal line situations.

Davis could play a similar role to Thomas Jones in 2010 to Charles, when both running backs were Top 25 options. Jones was used more for short yardage and goal-to-go situations, whereas Charles took on more touches as the more flexible back. In 2010, they split the ball about 55-45 in favor of Charles. A similar split could happen this season, and the way Davis has proven to find the end zone, Davis could be even more valuable than Jones was four seasons ago. However, be weary that he has three fumbles as well, and that could play into how much he gets the ball. But that shouldn’t deter the Chiefs too much as they try to protect Charles.

Also, if Charles keeps getting sidelined, Davis’ value would automatically go back up. Of course, he falls a bit into the “novelty” category, as he’s been a surprise to defenses. But his value could at least be near 10 points a game; I don’t expect his 20 point performances to continue. If the opportunities present themselves, Davis should be the pickup of the season.

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