Ok, so Jamaal Charles is not dead nor is he dying, but in the fantasy world, a torn ACL is like dying, cause you are being placed on injured reserve, never to be heard of again. Well, that is until next season when everyone wonders if his knee is fully recovered and if he will still have that crazy break away speed and alusiveness.
So for those of you Jamaal Charles owners panciking, feeling as if your fantasy season is over, I am here to tell you to relax, to think things through, and not to panic. Cause that what a good Consigliere does. He calms the waters of the storm; and the storm in this case is the panic of Jamaal Charles owners.
First things first: breathe. Good, keep on breathing, keep your hands off of clicking "Add Player" on Dexter McCluster (third string RB for the Kansas City Chiefs) for right now and let's think this through.
Hopefully you drafted well and have a suitable backup you can put in who will at least get you half of what you expected Charles to get you (and hopefully you have a flex option where you can make up the remaining points with an excellent receiver you drafted or can pick up off of the waiver wire).
But if you don't have a suitable backup, you're left with the waiver wire, which at this point is not looking too promising, as there aren't many players available. But if for some reason Thomas Jones is out there, pick him up, he's Charles's primary backup and will get the bulk of the carries. Most likely he was drafted though, so that leaves the third string RB in Kansas City, Dexter McCluster. Now McCluster is a dynamic playmaker with great speed and agility, but he's not an I Formation line it up and pound it guy, which Charles wasn't a pounder, but he could line it up and get 20 carries a game if necessary. Nonetheless, I expect McCluster is going to touch the ball more, probably around 12-14 times a game, and with his speed and athleticism, he could easily break a big play any week.
But if you don't like McCluster, check to see where Ben Tate is. With Arian Foster constantly nursing a sore hamstring, and Derrick Ward out with an ankle, that leaves Ben Tate as the defacto back in the Houston Texans lineup, and he has produced good fantasy numbers through the first two weeks. Most likely he is on somebody's roster, but double check anyways.
And finally, if you can't find anyone on the waiver (assuming Thomas Jones is owned by someone), you might want to pick up McCluster and entertain a trade offer. If you have depth at receiving corps, or one of your two good tight ends happens to be Rob Gronkowski or Aaron Hernandez from the New England Patriots, you might be wise to trade a top tier receiver and McCluster for a top tier or even second tier back with upside to try and salvage what will most likely end up being a dismal season fantasy wise without a potent second back to score you points.
But remain calm, as you can quite clearly see there are options. Think it through, and if you're hand is still hovering over "Add Player" for Dexter McCluster, go ahead and pull the trigger if you think it's your best option, but you owe it to yourself and that $50 or $100 you dropped to get into the league this year.
The Consigliere
In selecting your starting players, how do you choose between a solid fantasy player who is "questionable" and a mediocre backup? Is it better to risk playing the better play who may be a game time decision, or to play it safe and go with the player who may not put up as many points, but may get you more than the better player if the better player doesn't play?
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