Guy to Target in Fantasy Football: Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Clyde Edwards-Helaire should be shooting up fantasy draft boards right now. The rookie running back has not even played a down in the NFL, but he could be a top 15 pick in fantasy leagues this season. Since he was drafted by the Chiefs, he overshot guys like Jonathan Taylor and JK Dobbins in rookie running back rankings. A rookie running back going to the Chiefs was a dream scenario for fantasy players. Ever since the Chiefs cut Kareem Hunt, there has been a vacancy at the running back position. To make matters even better, Damien Williams, CEH’s main competition, decided to opt out of the season.
What you can expect
CEH showed flashes of brilliance while he was at LSU. He did what Leonard Fournette and Derius Guice could not do and help bring a National Championship to LSU.
The guy can run it in between the tackles, bounce it outside, and catch the football extremely well. You do not want to try and tackle him in the open field. He will make you miss and will make you look silly.
He is easily the 1.01 in non-superflex rookie drafts for dynasty leagues and should be a top 15 pick in re-draft leagues. Now, I understand that he has not played a down yet, but this is what you can expect from CEH. You can draft him, plug him into your line-up, and never take him out except for his bye week. You can expect Alvin Kamara type numbers from CEH his rookie season and could finish as a top 5 fantasy running back. In 2-3 years, CEH will be talked about like Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley are. He will be a part of that top group and will be nearly impossible to acquire in dynasty leagues.
Final Thoughts
Damien Williams opting out handed CEH the starting job week 1. He will easily get 20-25 touches a game in both the run and passing game. He is still a rookie so all of this could be out the window. We never know for sure how rookies will play, especially in a pandemic season. However, if you miss out on a back like Barkley or Kamara, you can target CEH in the second round in re-draft. If you do not have a top 3 pick in a dynasty rookie draft, you can kiss CEH goodbye too. He is locked in at the 1.01 and will be a dynasty darling for years to come.
-Pete Chatterton (@Pchat12)