Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Week 2 vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Fantasy managers who gambled on Clyde Edwards-Helaire are feeling good after Week 1. CEH ran seven times for 42 yards while going 3-32-2 on three targets. He only played on 39% of the offensive snaps, but part of that is because of the score. Although backup Jerick McKinnon had a decent role in the game with seven touches and 49 scrimmage yards. Isiah Pacheco led the backfield with 12 carries, but most of those came late in the game. Overall, CEH had value touches early on in the game and was highly efficient with them. He gets an OK matchup in Week 2 against the Chargers where he should be viewed as a low-end RB2 play.

2022 Fantasy Upside
Clyde Edwards-Helaire was the Chiefs’ bell-cow back last season before getting injured in Week 5. But in the first four weeks, he averaged over 16 touches per game while averaging nearly 90 scrimmage yards. He continued to have a sizable role, seeing at least 10 touches in every game since returning from injury. He did split touches with Darrel Williams, but he’s gone now, which brings up a role for CEH heading into 2022. Yes the Chiefs added Ronald Jones, but Jones has never been a receiving threat. With Williams out of the picture, there’s a strong chance we see CEH emerge more in the passing game. Even Tyreek Hill’s departure can open the door for more targets on shorter routes. CEH is a 23-year-old former first-round pick in one of the best offenses in the league, so there are reasons to be optimistic about him headed into 2022.

2022 Fantasy Downside
Edwards-Helaire hasn’t had the best start to his career in terms of production. We thought he’d be the next productive back in Andy Reid’s offense after being a first-round draft pick, but instead he’s finished as RB27 and RB23 the past two years (average, half-PPR). He split a lot of touches with Darrel Williams last season, especially in the red zone. Williams had 10 red zone targets to CEH’s 3, 28 red zone carries to CEH’s 12 and 14 carries inside the 5-yard line to CEH’s 2. The addition of Jones shows the Chiefs will likely still have a committee backfield.

2022 Bottom Line
There are a lot of red flags when it comes to CEH this season, but it also shows in his ADP. You’d think a young starting running back on one of the top offenses would be an early-round selection, but instead he’s being drafted as RB26, which is a fair landing spot. Some could even see some potential value if CEH’s role in the passing game is improved. He averaged just 2.3 targets per game compared to Williams who averaged 4.8 targets in his seven starts. That opens up some additional targets, and we know Jones isn’t a receiving threat. There are reasons to like CEH this season, but his past production is hard to ignore.