Clyde Edwards-Helaire went down with an MCL sprain during the Chiefs' Week 5 loss to the Bills and has since found himself on the injured reserve.
With CEH set to miss at least the next three weeks, veteran back Darrel Williams should see the bulk of the workload in his absence. But with Jerick McKinnon likely to pick up the role of pass-catching back, how valuable is Williams (rostered in 20% of Yahoo! leagues) going to be — and how aggressively should you target him on the waiver wire?
Our trio of analysts break down his potential value and how much of your Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB) to bid in order to roster him.
Target Darrel Williams On Fantasy Waiver Wire?
Samantha Previte
Year 2 running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire suffered what we now know was an MCL sprain during Sunday night's marquee matchup against the Bills. He was visibly in pain and was taken to the locker room for further evaluation, finishing his outing with seven rushes for 13 yards and a catch for 11 yards.
There's little use in speculating how long he'll be out without knowing the extent of the injury, but if he misses time, Williams should stand to see a significant uptick in work. He saw five carries for 27 yards and caught three of five passes for 18 yards. His ceiling is a bit capped given we may see some Jerick McKinnon sprinkled in, but he's still on the Chiefs who have to put up titanic numbers to offset their defense's shortcomings and keep them afloat.
Williams is a medium- to high-priority add in my Week 6 breakdown of the waiver wire market.
Sean Koerner
Williams is a low-end RB2 rental who could get two to four games in while Clyde Edwards-Helaire recovers from an MCL sprain. Williams should dominate Kansas City's rush attempts and goal-line work while splitting passing work with Jerick McKinnon. The pass-catching role is the most valuable role for Chiefs backs, so the fact he will likely be splitting that with McKinnon limited his updates. Depending on your record, how desperate you are at RB and how much you think your league will bid on Williams, I would recommend bidding 30-40% of your FAAB here.
Chris Raybon
Williams out-snapped Jerick McKinnon 37-27 last week, suggesting a 58% vs. 42% split in favor of Williams. Williams got five carries to McKinnon's one, but the split was closer when it came to pass snaps, with Williams holding a 31-24 edge. There's a lot of variance involved with Williams: He has multi-TD upside as the likely goal-line back, but a low-single-digit fantasy point floor if the Chiefs go pass heavy. He still profiles as the lead back over McKinnon, which isn't the case for Khalil Herbert, so Williams is still my No. 2 waiver priority at RB, behind only Devontae Booker.
