Will Charcandrick West maintain his high-level production?
The fantasy world is still very new to the name Charcandrick West. He signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2014 and finally made the active roster by November 2014. At the beginning of 2015, Knile Davis was viewed as the handcuff to RB stud Jamaal Charles. In fact, Knile Davis was viewed as a good running back who could start on some other teams with poor depth at the position.
Import your team for free to get lineup advice 
After Charles went down in Week 5, there was a question as to who would get the carries in Kansas City. Most thought West would beat out Davis, but there was talk of a committee. In Week 6, the Chiefs lost 16-10 to Minnesota. West and Davis combined for 14 carries and 46 yards on the ground. The future looked bleak for running backs in Kansas City.
Over the next three weeks, West emerged as the starter in Kansas City and a stud RB1 in fantasy. Since Week 6, West has started all three games and accumulated 75 touches for 412 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns. That’s good for 65 points in standard leagues. He’s also valuable in PPR leagues, as he’s been targeted at least five times every game since Week 6. It’s important to note that two of these three games are against top-10 rush defenses – Denver and Pittsburgh.
Not only has West performed well recently, but he also projects well for the future. The Chiefs have the second-easiest schedule for running backs for the remainder of the season. Kansas City faces four bottom-10 rush defenses between Weeks 12-16, including the San Diego Chargers (twice), the Oakland Raiders and the Cleveland Browns.
Mark it down now, West IS the waiver wire pickup of the year. He’s put up Charles-like numbers since replacing him. Owners should expect West to continue his RB1 production, and he should be viewed as a top-five RB for the rest of the season.
Get Start/Sit & Waiver Advice with My Playbook
Jeffrey Greco is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Jeffrey, check out his archive and follow him @Jeffrey_Greco.
