En route to the Kansas City Chiefs’ AFC West-clinching victory, running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire was forced from the game with a collarbone injury. While nothing about his injury timeline is official yet, fantasy football managers need to start creating a contingency plan for Week 17 in case he misses time. How will the backfield of Darrel Williams and Derrick Gore perform in fantasy championship week?
A Clyde Edwards-Helaire injury would make Darrel Williams the lead back
Earlier this season, Edwards-Helarie missed five weeks, and we saw Williams factor in as the lead back in the Kansas City offense. Over that five-week stretch, Williams averaged 13.8 carries, 48.8 rushing yards, 4.8 receptions, and 45.2 receiving yards per game. He also scored 3 total touchdowns during that timeframe.
In those five games (Weeks 6-10), Williams was the overall RB4 in half-PPR scoring. That’ll do just fine. Somehow, despite his elite receiving abilities at LSU, Edwards-Helaire has not logged over 3 receptions in any game this year. The Chiefs seem to prefer Williams as their passing-down back.
Derrick Gore has shown flashes this year as well
Gore hasn’t seen a heavy workload by any stretch this year. He’d only handled 29 rushing attempts and 4 receptions in six games prior to Week 16. In the opportunities that he’s had, however, he’s rushed for 5.03 yards per carry and has found the end zone twice.
Against the Steelers, Gore rushed 12 times for 43 yards. He also turned 3 receptions into an additional 61 yards. Williams saw 11 carries for 55 yards, adding 3 receptions for 30 yards. Both backs were deployed on the ground and through the air, and both have shown the ability to break off big plays. The Chiefs’ offense will continue on without Edwards-Helaire if he misses any time, and they’ll continue to run the same offense they always run.
Gore and Williams fantasy expectations
While Gore is an explosive player that can create big plays, he’s more of a change-of-pace option to Williams, who is the clear second option behind Edwards-Helaire. I would expect Williams to take the majority of the opportunities. Additionally, he should continue to factor into the passing game.
Gore isn’t a horrible flex play based on the role we saw from him in Week 16. Still, he comes with the risk of a low ceiling. Williams, however, is a locked-in RB2 whenever Edwards-Helaire is out of the game, with clear RB1 upside. A Week 17 matchup with the Bengals is a challenging task. But the Chiefs are rolling, and Williams’ usage in the passing game will give him plenty of chances to put up fantasy points.