The Kansas City Chiefs‘ offense has been far from the dominate unit we’ve grown accustomed to watching during the Patrick Mahomes era.
After starting RB Isiah Pacheco suffered a concussion against the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Day, should you consider starting Clyde Edwards-Helaire or La’Mical Perine in an all-or-nothing week for fantasy football managers in Week 17?
Should You Start Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Isiah Pacheco, or La’Mical Perine in Fantasy Football Week 17?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Pacheco is the player to start. His projected 15.3 points include a projection of 85 rushing yards, one reception, and 18 yards.
That doesn’t seem like a big stat line, but it outperforms the consensus projection for Edwards-Helaire (5.3 points) and Perine (zero).
Edwards-Helaire’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
This may be tough to grasp, but the Chiefs enter Week 17 as the 11th-highest scoring offense in the league with an average of 22.2 points per game. Furthermore, Kansas City’s rushing attack ranks 20th with an average of 101.9 rushing yards per game this season.
Pacheco has been the clear-cut leading man in this backfield when in the lineup with a team-high 187 carries, 805 yards, and seven rushing scores this year.
However, fantasy managers have gotten a small glimpse of Edwards-Helaire in a leading role in this backfield when Pacheco missed games in Weeks 14 and 15 while dealing with a shoulder injury.
To be fair, the results were not awful by any stretch. CEH scored a minimum of eight fantasy points in PPR formats in both of those games and finished as a top-10 RB in Week 15 with 101 total yards and a score against the New England Patriots.
However, once Pacheco returned to the lineup last week, Edwards-Helaire appeared to be nothing more than a backup option after not touching the ball once in the first half against the Raiders.
Yet, Edwards-Helaire was once again pressed into an expanded role once Pacheco suffered a concussion in the second half of Monday’s game. He produced 48 total yards on seven touches.
With Jerick McKinnon on injured reserve (IR) and Pacheco currently in concussion protocol on a short week, Edwards-Helaire is in line for another leading role for the Chiefs heading into their matchup against the Bengals. That firmly puts him in the low-end RB2 range for Week 17.
Pacheco’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
Pacheco’s fantasy situation heading into Sunday’s game is pretty cut and dry. If he clears concussion protocol and is active for Week 17, then he should be in your starting lineup. And if he’s unable to clear, then he won’t be available for your fantasy team this week.
The odds are already stacked against players clearing the league’s concussion protocol in time for the next game after they sustained the head injury.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
Add the fact that the Chiefs played on Monday and Pacheco has one less day to clear protocol, which makes his potential availability for Week 17 shaky at best.
Fantasy managers would be wise to assume Pacheco won’t play in Week 17 and begin developing a backup plan on your waiver wire now before it’s too late.
Perine’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
The one potential unknown commodity heading into this week’s game would be Perine, who could see an expanded role with McKinnon on IR and Pacheco’s status for Week 17 currently up in the air.
Perine has just one carry for a single yard this season, which makes his fantasy outlook a complete dart throw for even the most desperate fantasy managers this week.
While Perine may be worth a stash in leagues whose fantasy playoffs are still going in Week 18, I would not recommend starting him in Week 17 under any circumstance.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!