The Best Players to Stash in Fantasy Football From the AFC West
Charcandrick West, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
The Player
Charcandrick West burst onto the scene last week with an impressive preseason debut for the Chiefs, rushing for 49 yards on just six attempts and catching another three passes for 43 yards in limited action.
He put on display his speed and explosiveness in the open field as well as his outstanding ability as a receiver out of the backfield. He actually looked a tad like Jamaal Charles out there, which isn't surprising considering Charles has a very similar athletic profile.
| Name | Hght | Wght | 40 yd | Bnch | Vert | Broad | 3Cone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charcandrick West | 5' 10" | 204 | 4.46 | 15 | 41" | 130" | 7.08 |
| David Wilson | 5' 10" | 206 | 4.49 | 41" | 132" | 7.09 | |
| Jamaal Charles | 5' 11" | 200 | 4.38 | 30½" | 122" | 6.8 | |
| Jerick McKinnon | 5' 9" | 209 | 4.41 | 32 | 40½" | 132" | 6.83 |
| C.J. Spiller | 5' 11" | 196 | 4.37 | 18 | 36" | 126" | |
| Felix Jones | 5' 10" | 207 | 4.44 | 13 | 33½" | 124" | 6.9 |
| Steve Slaton | 5' 9" | 197 | 4.45 | 19 | 33½" | 118" | 6.74 |
| Jahvid Best | 5' 10" | 199 | 4.34 | 18 | 32½" | 113" | 6.75 |
| Tevin Coleman | 5' 11" | 206 | 4.4 | 22 |
Although West doesn't possess the elite agility of some of the backs on this list, his David Wilson-like explosiveness is an asset that teams crave.
Recruited as a defensive back out of high school by Division I programs, West ended up transferring to Division II Abilene Christian University, where he switched to running back. He was electric as a senior, accumulating 1,349 total yards and 16 touchdowns against inferior competition.
His all-purpose ability attracted the attention of the Chiefs, who signed him as an undrafted free agent last year before stashing him to their practice squad for much of the season. While many similarly-sized players struggle to develop into lead backs like Charles, it is worth watching anytime an outstanding athlete turns heads in an NFL preseason.
The Opportunity
While many assume Knile Davis is the automatic handcuff to own in Kansas City, at some point Andy Reid and the coaching staff may discover what we have here at numberFire: Knile Davis is a really inefficient football player.
In 2014 he was actually dead last in Rushing NEP per carry for backs with more than 100 carries at -0.16, which was worse than his already terrible -0.12 score from 2013. He also finished last in Success Rate (31.34%), which is the percentage of his runs that contributed positively to his NEP score. But at least that was an improvement from his horrific 28.57% score from 2013. His Success Rates indicate that he is an all-or-nothing player, and his big plays haven't been enough to make him a positive asset for the Chiefs so far.
A knee sprain suffered by Davis in the preseason opener has allowed West to gain valuable reps with the first team offense in training camp over the past week, an opportunity he is looking to run with (pun intended) this preseason.
While Jamaal Charles is the centerpiece of this offense, he is still a smaller back entering his age 29 season who has averaged 298 touches per season the past three years. West has a similar playing style (and size) to Charles, and he's a player worth watching as the preseason unfolds, both in redraft and especially in dynasty formats.
Perhaps the true handcuff in Kansas City isn't as obvious as we all think.
