The Chiefs underwhelming fantasy backfield took another hit in Week 13 when Darrel Williams suffered a non-contact hamstring injury that looked pretty bad. However, in his place, our preseason fantasy darling, Darwin Thompson was finally able to show off his stuff. He responded with 44 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and looked like the explosive athlete that we witnessed, and hyped up, all preseason. With LeSean McCoy on an old man pitch count, Damien Williams watching practice from the sidelines nursing a rib injury, and Darrel Williams likely on ice for the foreseeable future, it’s Darwin’s time to shine.
The slippery sixth round pick will likely land in a small committee with McCoy in Week 14. However, he could be used in space against a Patriots defense that has had issues keeping up with speedy running backs, such as Duke Johnson. Andy Reid is a maestro of getting running backs on linebackers in coverage and if the Williams x2 sit out Week 14, this could be Thompson’s time to shine.
As of now, Thompson is available in 5 percent of leagues and should be a top “stash” to fill out the bottom of your roster. Keep an eye on the Chiefs injury report throughout the week, because even though the Patriots defense is elite, Reid will find ways to scheme Thompson into space against their slower linebackers.
We prematurely blew our fantasy loads on Thompson, but imagine if he becomes a league winner in this offense?
