Kansas City Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco has emerged as a top fantasy option at RB in 2023 but is currently dealing with a shoulder injury that has kept him out of games against the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots.
How aggressively should fantasy football managers go after Clyde Edwards-Helaire on the waiver wire in Week 16?
Should Clyde Edwards-Helaire Be a Fantasy Waiver Add in Week 16?
Isiah Pacheco has been one of the few consistent producers from a normally explosive Kansas City offense through the first 12 games of the season. His 988 total yards and seven scores on the season currently has him as the RB10 in PPR formats.
Mahomes and the Chiefs’ passing game hasn’t been nearly as good as is it has been during the Mahomes era, and the team has counted upon the rushing attack more than usual.
Pacheco suffered the injury against the Green Bay Packers, and it didn’t appear to be that bad. He was actually thrown out of the game after getting into a fight during the game.
However, he has missed the Chiefs last two games, missing against the Bills and again on Sunday against the Patriots. However, his presence hasn’t been missed as Edwards-Helaire has stepped his game up.
In that Week 13 Packers game, Edwards-Helaire saw his second-highest snap share (25%) of the 2023 season to that point. For some context, Edwards-Helaire saw 30% of the snaps in a blowout win against the Chicago Bears back in Week 3.
In the Week 15 game against the Patriots on Sunday, though, Edwards-Helaire showed he can be a valuable part of this offense. He finished the game with 13 carries for 37 yards, but it was his versatility and playmaking in the passing game that was a big reason why the Chiefs drafted him in 2020.
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He had another four catches for 64 yards while also grabbing an impressive pass for a touchdown in the second half. With the wide receivers still struggling, should fantasy managers consider signing Edwards-Helaire off the waiver wire?
No, and this isn’t even a question. While the performance was solid Sunday, the expectation that he can put together another couple weeks or two of this may be asking too much.
First, this isn’t a season-ending type of injury for Pacheco, and he could be back as soon as next week. If he is able to go, then Edwards-Helaire really doesn’t have a big role on this team.
Jerick McKinnon isn’t necessarily a running back who can handled 20-25 carries, so they have to go more of a split role with those two. Pacheco can handle that many touches, and with him back, McKinnon will slide into the No.2 running back, pass catcher role out of the backfield.
As good as he was, if you take out the touchdown catch, he had a solid 12.2 PPR points. Even that was high for him, as that was the second most receiving yards of his career. He had 70 in the third game of his career against the Baltimore Ravens. McKinnon absolutely should be in your lineup and on your team before Edwards-Helaire.
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