Fantasy football impact: Jamaal Charles to the Broncos

The Broncos have decided to give Jamaal Charles a chance to play with little risk on their end. He was signed for the veteran minimum and his contract is heavy on incentives.

It’s yet to be seen if Charles can return to old form after a devastating knee injury sidelined him for essentially two years. He had just a handful of carries in 2016 before being shut down again. In fact, since his contract has no guaranteed money, he’s not a lock to make the team.

What is clear is C.J. Anderson probably takes a hit in fantasy value if Charles is worthy of a roster spot. If Charles is able to provide even half of the production we’re used to seeing out of him, Anderson’s numbers will fall. Plus you have to remember Anderson’s overall history.


Before getting hurt, Anderson rushed for 437 yards and four touchdowns in seven games. Those were solid numbers for the time he played, but you have to remember that in his four years he hasn’t carried the ball over 200 times nor has he rushed for more than 849 yards. He’s a modest pass receiver, only scoring three times through the air in his career.

Charles, on the other hand, has 20 receiving touchdowns in his nine-year career. He’s also carried the ball over 200 times in four of his nine seasons.

The big question is if he can reproduce something close to those numbers. We’ll just have to wait and see if he can bounce back from a very tough couple of years.

I currently have him ranked in the top-70 of my top-100 fantasy football rankings for the upcoming season, but that will very likely change before the season gets started.

Mock drafts aren’t as optimistic as I am and have him going in the mid-90s.

There’s a lot yet to be determined but the big takeaway is that C.J. Anderson’s value likely takes a hit and Charles is a big x-factor at this point. One thing to note is that Charles seems to be carrying a chip on his shoulder over the way he was let go by the Chiefs. That could prove useful for him if he’s healthy enough.