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UPDATE SUNDAY PM: Jamaal Charles has been ruled OUT vs. Dolphins
File this under "It's just a guess" but I am not expecting to hear anything about Jamaal Charles and his status with the Kansas City Chiefs as they prepare for the Miami Dolphins on Sunday until the game actually starts.
To recap: Last Sunday Charles suffered a high ankle sprain, which is usually a multi-week injury. Charles surprisingly returned to practice on Thursday and Friday and has been listed questionable for the game.
As we have noted in response to fantasy football fans who have been asking us, the Chiefs have little reason to reveal their plans with Charles before the game. I can't think of one good reason -- besides pleasing those fantasy football owners -- that the Chiefs would let anyone know the real status of Charles.
Knile Davis is the backup to Charles. He is not the same player as Charles. So why not make the Dolphins prepare for both? Even if the Chiefs are not planning on playing Charles at all or just playing him a little bit, they should keep that news under wraps until the game begins.
The next big time to take note of is 1:55 p.m. (Arrowhead Time) today. That's when the Chiefs will name their inactives for the Dolphins game (90 minutes before the 3:25 game time). Even if the Chiefs don't plan on playing Charles, I would activate him and keep him in uniform on the sideline. Even as a decoy not on the field he could have a bigger impact than whoever that 46th active player would be.
There are basically three options here:
- Jamaal will not play
- Jamaal will split carries with Knile Davis
- Jamaal is a full-go and will play as usual
The first one is a possibility but I do wonder why the Chiefs had Charles practice for two days this week. Gamesmanship? If he is active and doesn't play, it's definitely gamesmanship. I wouldn't put it past Andy Reid (in fact I'm glad this is a consideration). The final one doesn't seem likely because most people do not come back from a high ankle sprain like this. Remember, we were wondering a few days ago if Charles would be out for a month. The middle one seems about right -- but what kind of split? I see some sort of split where the majority goes to Knile Davis.