After months of preparation, work, and a bit of luck, we have made it to Week 17, championship week for fantasy football. Yet, it is not time to rest on one’s laurels, as hoisting that hardware begins by examining the waiver wire to either bolster your team or block your rival. One of the key situations to watch will be in the Kansas City Chiefs’ backfield, where Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s injury could shift responsibilities to Darrel Williams and Derrick Gore. With one game left to play in the majority of leagues, what is the latest injury update on Edwards-Helaire, and should fantasy managers rush to the waiver wire to grab Williams and Gore?
Clyde Edwards-Helaire exits Week 16 with a collarbone injury
Edwards-Helaire’s up-and-down season continued in a painful way on Sunday in KC’s blowout of the Pittsburgh Steelers. CEH suffered a collarbone injury on the Chiefs’ first drive of the second half, per ESPN’s Field Yates. Kansas City initially listed him as questionable to return, but with the game already decided, they ruled Edwards-Helaire out for the remainder of the contest in the fourth quarter.
After the game, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported X-rays of Edwards-Helaire’s shoulder came back negative, adding CEH would undergo an MRI on Monday. Before his injury, CEH played on 21 snaps, rushing 9 times for 27 yards with a bruising touchdown. He also caught a pass for 4 yards.
Edwards-Helaire has been disappointing in 2021
You were either all in or all out on Edwards-Healire on draft day. He was either poison or a screaming value. It turns out, as usual, the narratives on both sides went too far. Although he put together back-to-back 100-yard games in Weeks 4 and 5, he rushed for over 60 yards in just one other game (Week 11).
He missed five games in the middle of the season (Weeks 6-10) but has been at least startable over the latter part of the year. Edwards-Helaire has scored double-digit points in four of his last five games while averaging 12.3 PPR points per contest.
The Chiefs have already locked up the division and have the No. 1 seed in AFC, which increases the possibility of Edwards-Helaire missing the remainder of the fantasy season. If that happens, we could see a change take place in the backfield, creating one final chance to add players to your roster.
Darrel Williams will likely step up into the RB1 role should CEH miss time
With Edwards-Heailre missing nearly half the game, Williams stepped up as he has all season. He led the team in RB snaps (42%) while rushing 11 times for 55 yards and catching all 3 of his targets for an additional 30 yards on Sunday.
Even while operating as the No. 2 back all season, Williams has put together a decent campaign, averaging 8.2 attempts, 3.3 targets, and 57 total yards per game. Nevertheless, it is his work between Weeks 6-10 that fantasy managers need to pay close attention to.
With Edwards-Healire on injured reserve, Williams posted 244 rushing yards on 69 attempts with 2 touchdowns. His 226 yards through the air (24-of-27 receiving) were the second-most in the NFL by an RB over that span, further showcasing his ability to work in multiple facets of the offense.
While the Chiefs will likely use a committee approach, Williams should see the majority of the work. Currently rostered in 60% of fantasy leagues, there is a decent chance he is floating around on your waiver wire right now. If not, there is always another option.
Derrick Gore was a surprise fantasy performer in Week 16
Despite playing on just 19 of the 69 offensive snaps, Gore had 15 touches. He rushed 12 times for 43 yards against a porous Steelers defense. Additionally, he recorded 61 yards as a receiver, catching 3 of his 4 targets. His 13.4 PPR points marked the second-best day of his career, falling just shy of his 16.9 PPR points in Week 14 against the Raiders.
Even if Gore is technically behind Williams on the depth chart, he has done more than enough to deserve a sizeable chunk of the workload if CEH misses time. In games where he has seen double-digit opportunities, Gore has generated double-digit points, averaging 13.7 PPR points and 80.3 yards per contest. He came into Week 16 an afterthought but exited towards the top of the list for fantasy managers heading into Week 17.
Both Williams and Gore are worth priority waiver wire claims in Week 17
I mean, what do you have to lose? It’s Week 17. Go spend all the remaining FAAB and stack your roster. The only hiccup in this whole thing is we do not know with certainty whether Edwards-Helaire was kept out due to injury or simply because the game was completely under control.
We should have that answer in the coming days and have a better idea of how we should view this backfield as the Chiefs take on the Bengals in Week 17.
One thing I do know is both Williams and Gore need to be picked up off waivers. Even if you have no intentions of playing them, adding them means your opponent cannot use them against you. Sometimes a block is the best move you can make in fantasy. I would rank Williams ahead of Gore in terms of priority.
Williams would be in the RB2 range, with Gore likely a mid-RB3 with receiving upside. The Bengals are, without a doubt, a better defense than the Steelers (No. 5 vs. RBs in their last four games). But given how Kansas City’s offense is finding momentum when it matters the most, either RB could bring fantasy championship-winning upside.