To call the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2008 season “tumultuous” would be a huge understatement.

Their problems began in the offseason, when their overly hands-on, ego-maniac of a GM, Carl Peterson, sat on his ass for the entire summer and failed to address the team’s most glaring need- a viable starting quarterback.

So, Herm Edwards was left to face the daunting task of choosing between “old career backup who whose skillset will never get us anywhere” (Damon Huard) and “young waste of a draft pick who will likely never amount to anything more than a career backup” (Brodie Croyle). Herm either flipped a coin or chose to get on board with this year’s theme of “change” and put his money on the young guy.

Too bad for Herm. The young guy’s body didn’t hold up for longer than a game. And, to pour salt on the wound, the old guy only lasted a few games before his body suffered the same season-ending fate. The Chiefs season was over before it even began, and Larry Johnson’s value as a fantasy running back was destined to suffer the same doom…

…that was, UNTIL…

…third-stringer Tyler Thigpen played in his fifth ever NFL game. After posting a QB Rating in the 40s through his first 4 games, the guy apparently had a divine intervention. In week 8, Thigpen connected on 25 of 36 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns, and committed no turnovers, only to have his brilliant performance ruined by his defense.

Thigpen, who I’m going to boldly label “Fastest-Learning Third String QB I Have Ever Seen,” has followed up his first great performance with two more solid starts, throwing 4 more TD’s without a turnover and leading an offense that had averaged just 12.5 points per game in its first six games to a three-game average of 23.3 points per game. Heck, the guy has even managed to make WR Mark Bradley look good- a notable achievement in itself.

To top it off, Thigpen has been doing this with a rotating backfield of Jamaal Charles, Kolby Smith, and Dantrell Savage, while Larry Johnson served a suspension for his addiction to showering unwilling ladies with alcoholic beverages.

This sets us up perfectly for my main point: If you are a Larry Johnson owner, celebrate, because your patience has paid off. Get him off your bench, back into the starting lineup for this week’s game against the Saints and watch the fantasy points start to flow in FAST.

If you don’t own Larry Johnson and need another running back before the fantasy trading deadline, go and orchestrate a trade for Grandmama IMMEDIATELY.

At this point, most people who haven’t been following the Chiefs very closely will see that they’ve lost three straight, they’re 1-8 overall, and the season is lost. Their hopes for Johnson won’t be very high.

But, while Johnson’s value to the average fantasy owner might have hit rock bottom, one man’s trash will certainly prove to be another man’s treasure if you are able to secure him at this point in the season.

After watching Thigpen play for the last three games, I’m confident he’ll be able to keep up his high level of play, and when Johnson gets back into the lineup this week, he’ll have big play opportunities.

The Chiefs’ next 6 games are a cakewalk in terms of the defenses they’ll face: New Orleans, Buffalo, Oakland, Denver, San Diego, and Miami.

Over the final six games, I predict that a healthy Johnson will average about 90 yards per game on the ground and 30 through the air, with a touchdown. There is also huge potential for monster performances against Oakland and Denver, two of the most atrocious defenses in the league.

The return of Grandmama is upon us. Get him now, while he’s still somewhat under the radar.