Last week, Clyde Edwards-Helaire suffered a shoulder injury in the Chiefs’ blowout victory over the Steelers. In what seems to be an annual trend, Edwards-Helaire got hurt late in the regular season with what could’ve been a season-ending injury, but the severity will likely allow him to return in the playoffs. What’s the latest news on CEH’s injury, and how will the Chiefs (and fantasy football managers) move forward without him?
Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s injury
Edwards-Helaire fell hard on his shoulder and immediately left the game. Following the play, there were fears of a broken collarbone, which would not only end his regular season but his postseason as well.
Fortunately, CEH avoided a fracture as X-rays came back negative. He did experience significant swelling, but all things considered, it was a favorable outcome. According to Adam Teicher, head coach Andy Reid described the incident as a shoulder injury despite the team having previously described it as a collarbone issue.
Edwards-Helaire’s injury impact on the Chiefs’ backfield
The Chiefs’ backfield has actually been relatively straightforward all season. They are one of the few teams we’ve been able to figure out. When healthy, CEH is the lead back. If CEH is out, it’s Darrel Williams leading the charge.
Edwards-Helaire previously missed Weeks 6-10. As such, we already have a glimpse of how the Chiefs operate with CEH out.
Darrel Williams is the unquestioned lead back when CEH is out with injury
Edwards-Helaire has missed five games this season. When CEH is active, Williams averages 7.5 PPR fantasy points per game. In the five games CEH missed, Williams averaged 17.8 PPR ppg.
The Chiefs get a mediocre Bengals run defense this week, allowing the 14th-most fantasy points to running backs. Williams is at least an RB2 based upon his usage when CEH is out. The data suggests he may even be an RB1.
What about Derrick Gore?
I don’t have much of an interest in Gore. Even when CEH was out, Gore never played more than 20% of the snaps. Unless Williams tests positive for COVID-19 over the next four days, Gore holds no value.
Gore has produced fantasy-relevant numbers in three games. In Week 8 against the Giants, it was just a random event, as evidenced by him going back to just 4 touches the week after. Weeks 14 and 16 were blowouts, so the Chiefs had the backups playing in the fourth quarter. At no point this season has there ever been a deliberate intent to feature Gore.
When might Edwards-Helaire return from injury?
Unfortunately, Edwards-Helaire’s regular season appears to be over. At this point, we can’t speak in definitives beyond Week 17. Still, with the fantasy season over after this week, even if CEH miraculously returns in Week 18, it doesn’t matter.
The Chiefs described CEH as week-to-week, which is a massive win considering how bad things could’ve been. Whenever a player is described as week-to-week, he almost never plays the upcoming week.
Kansas City will likely not officially rule Edwards-Helaire out until Friday, but he’s almost assuredly not going to play this week. I would also expect him to miss Week 18, but with the Chiefs in the driver’s seat for the bye, there’s a decent chance he’s able to return in their Divisional Round matchup.
Fantasy managers counting on CEH in their championship will have to look elsewhere. However, Edwards-Helaire appears to have avoided serious injury, and we will likely see him again this year.