NFL Draft: Fantasy football impact of Clyde Edwards-Helaire to the Kansas City Chiefs

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With the 32nd pick in the NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs selected running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire out of LSU. Find his 2020 Fantasy outlook below:

Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB) LSU

Height: 5'7"
Weight: 207
Age: 21.0
Dynasty Ranking: 1.01 (RB1)
Redraft Ranking: RB18

16-game projection for the 2020 season as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs: 

Rushing: 184 carries for 826 yards and 7 touchdowns
Receiving: 47 catches for 454 yards and 3 touchdowns

Fantasy Outlook in Kansas City:

As a short back with a compact build, Clyde Edwards-Helaire already has drawn plenty of Maurice Jones-Drew comparisons. From what I can tell, he doesn't run with quite the same speed that MJD did, and I'd comp him more as a Ray Rice-Devonta Freeman hybrid. Edwards-Helaire was buried behind Derrius Guice on the depth chart early in his career, and he really didn't break out until 2019, when he averaged 6.6 yards per carry and finished with 16 rushing touchdowns. Perhaps more impressively, Edwards-Helaire caught 55 passes for 453 yards in 2019. He also was a kick returner for three years.

The only apparent downside with Edwards-Helaire was an unimpressive combine. It's possible that Edwards-Helaire wasn't 100 percent after dealing with a leg injury during the college postseason just a month prior to the combine, but still, a 4.6 40-time at 207 pounds is enough to scare some teams away.

As I wrote earlier this week, the absolute ideal landing spot for Edwards-Helaire is the Kansas City Chiefs. He's my 1.01 for dynasty purposes at the moment, but that could change if Tampa Bay drafts one of the top two running backs. Edwards-Helaire will likely open the season working in tandem with Damien Williams, and if the oft-injured Williams has to miss time, Edwards-Helaire has the ability to work as a three-down back for the best offense in the NFL.

It made no sense for the Chiefs to use a first-round pick on Edwards-Helaire. The Chiefs traditionally don't invest much in the RB position, so a sharp coach and GM in Andy Reid and Brett Veach deciding to invest a first-round selection shows just how much they believe in this kid. Veach and Reid understand the "RBs don't matter" mantra. They have repeatedly been able to find guys to fill the position for cheap. Jonathan Williams and D'Andre Swift were both still on the board. There is little possible explanation for the pick, other than that Reid and Veach clearly believe Edwards-Helaire can contribute both as a rusher and weapon out of the backfield in a special way that will add another level to their offense.

Of course, that is speculative, and Damien Williams could easily begin the season as the starter. We have seen other sharp organizations like the Patriots inexplicably blow a first-round pick on Sony Michel, so this is no guarantee to work out. But given the circumstances, it is hard to not take note of the first-round investment Kansas City made. As of this writing, Edwards-Helaire is my RB1 for dynasty purposes and RB18 for redraft. Those projections are based on a 60/40 split with Williams, but if Williams suffers an early injury or simply loses the starting job to Edwards-Helaire, those projections will rise significantly. Even with the current projected split, 47 catches is on the conservative side for CEH while playing in this offense. 

So which players are poised for breakouts, which sleepers do you need to jump on, and which busts should you avoid at all costs in your Fantasy football league? Join SportsLine now to get early 2020 Fantasy football rankings, plus see which WR is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big time last season.