Chiefs rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire could win your fantasy football league

Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s fantasy football stock is skyrocketing on Wednesday.

The 2020 NFL season is expected to take place as scheduled this September, which means we have over a month to complete our fantasy football drafts. Those lucky teams who finished towards the bottom of their fantasy leagues will have the opportunity to select top running backs, Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley. But for those who finished at the top of the standings who are looking for a starting rusher, just received their target on Wednesday.

The Kansas City Chiefs announced that starting running back Damien Williams has opted out of the 2020 season. That means the Chiefs will lean upon first-round selection and former National Champion running back for the LSU Tigers, Clyde Edwards-Helaire. With this latest news, you should definitely draft the rookie if you plan on winning your fantasy football league.

The rookie could win you some fantasy football hardware.

When looking at Edwards-Helaire’s sophomore season at LSU, it was respectable. But he really exploded onto the scene during his junior campaign. Through 13 games this past year, the running back tallied 1,414 ground yards and 16 touchdowns on 215 carries. That’s right, Edwards-Helaire averaged 6.6 yards per carry. And it showed once you watched primetime LSU games, as nearly every one of his carries was destined to be first downs.

But what makes Edwards-Helaire even more dangerous on the field is his ability to catch out of the backfield.  With Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow throwing him the ball, Edwards-Helaire hauled in 55 passes for 435 yards and one touchdown.

Normally, the transition into the NFL is daunting for a collegiate running back. Edwards-Helaire shined at Baton Rouge, and now, he gets to join the Chiefs’ electric offense!

Kansas City’s offensive line is one of the best in the league. Yes, they did lose guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif after he opted out of the season to combat COVID-19 on the front lines. But the Chiefs signed a solid replacement in former Oakland Raiders guard Kelechi Osemele. Oh, and it certainly helps that Edwards-Helaire will be receiving the rock from Super Bowl LIV MVP quarterback and dynamic playmaker in Patrick Mahomes. Those two will make for quite the dynamic duo behind the o-line.

What really works in Edwards-Helaire’s favor is that he’ll be playing under head coach Andy Reid, who runs an offense that’s tailored to his strengths. During his days with the Philadelphia Eagles, Reid had a star dual-threat rusher in Brian Westbrook and utilized him to the best of his abilities. The future Hall of Fame head coach will do the exact same with the rookie. Let’s not forget that Reid proclaimed that Edwards-Helaire was “better than Westbrook” on film! You think Reid’s excited to work with him? We think so.

There was uncertainty about whether fantasy football general managers should target Edwards-Helaire, given the presence of Damien Williams. At best, he was worth a late-round stash. But with Williams sitting out this season, Edwards-Helaire stock has skyrocketed and should be targeted in the third or fourth rounds. To be more specific, draft him after Dalvin Cook and Nick Chubb are selected. If he’s on the board at that stage of your fantasy draft, you shouldn’t hesitate to take him.

Edwards-Helaire can absolutely win you a fantasy football championship at the expense of your buddies because we all know that’s your goal heading into the 2020 season.