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Is Darrel Williams starting against the Bengals in Week 17? Is Derrick Gore worth picking up? Should I start Darrel Williams or Derrick Gore if CEH is out?
As fantasy football managers are making lineup decisions for Week 17 and their playoff matchups, some injury situations will shape their decisions and separate the winners from the losers.
Let's check in on the injury situation for Clyde Edwards-Helaire and see if it will impact his playing status in the Kansas City Chiefs Week 17 Sunday afternoon game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Is Clyde Edwards-Helaire playing this week? Who is the best waiver wire pickup in case CEH is forced to miss Week 17? Should I start Darrel Williams or Derrick Gore? Below we take a quick look at the updated injury status for Edwards-Helaire and attempt to answer these questions.
Is Clyde Edwards-Helaire Playing Against the Bengals?
Clyde Edwards-Helaire suffered a bruised shoulder in the Chiefs' Week 16 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had to leave the game early and only ended up playing on 30% of the snaps in that game. But the question remains, will the bruised shoulder cause him to miss the team's Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals?
ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reports it'll be "challenging" for CEH to give it a go, but we shouldn't rule it out entirely. Be sure to check back for further injury updates throughout the week:
Is Darrel Williams or Derrick Gore Worth Picking Up?
Edwards-Helaire missed time earlier in the season with a knee injury. In those five games, between Weeks 6 and 10, Darrel Williams was the overall RB11 on a points per game basis in full PPR formats, averaging 17.8 points per game. In those five games, Williams scored just three touchdowns on 96 total opportunities (rush attempts + targets).
But it was the volume that gave him the safe floor and high ceiling combination. He averaged 19.2 opportunities (5.4 targets) during that stretch and turned those into 94 total yards per game. Williams was given a whopping 17 red zone rush attempts and ran 23 routes per game in those five games. For comparison, Edwards-Helaire has 14 red zone rush attempts all season (in 10 games) and runs an average of just 13 routes per game. When Williams plays without CEH, he's got bigger upside than the former first-round pick.
What about Derrick Gore though, is he a priority pickup as well if Edwards-Helaire sits in Week 17? The short answer is yes, he should be picked up off the waiver wire. Especially in the fantasy football championship week, when next week no longer matters, we need to be rostering our starters' backups.
In this case, if Williams is set to start for your team, it's wise to also have Gore as a contingency plan should Williams be placed on the COVID list. Gore did play in three of the games Edwards-Helaire missed earlier in the season, but never saw higher than a 20% snap share and averaged just seven opportunities per game.
Should I Start Darrel Williams or Derrick Gore in Week 17?
If CEH ultimately does not play against the Bengals on Sunday, Darrel Williams needs to be started in most leagues. Unless you have two other top-10 options at the running back position, Williams should absolutely be in your lineup.
Recall, he was the overall RB11 on a points-per-game basis in PPR formats when Edwards-Helaire missed five games earlier in the season. And that was with just three total touchdowns. Not to mention the Chiefs have an implied point total of 27.5 points for this game.
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