The Kansas City Chiefs have played their starting offense more than most teams during the 2021 preseason. But as exciting as it may be to see Patrick Mahomes return to the field, the Chiefs found out the hard way why teams don’t usually play their starters in these exhibition matchups — injuries. Second-year running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire suffered an ankle sprain in Kansas City’s Week 2 preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Is Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s injury considered serious?
Though he left the game against the Cardinals and didn’t participate in team drills to start this week, his ankle injury isn’t considered serious. According to head coach Andy Reid, Edwards-Helaire’s ankle injury sustained was “on the inside” of his ankle and not a high ankle sprain like initially thought.
“He’s got a slight sprain on the inside of his ankle,” Reid told reporters. “We’ll just see. It doesn’t look like a high-ankle sprain. That’s always a good thing.”
Following that news, it was reported that Edwards-Helaire will likely miss the rest of the preseason. He should return in Week 1 when the Chiefs face the Cleveland Browns. Yet, there is more to the story.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s injury is something to monitor
Though it may not be too serious, Edwards-Helaire’s ankle injury is something to monitor going forward. It’s important to note that he missed time toward the end of 2020 due to hamstring, hip, and ankle injuries.
The second-year pro missed three games, including the team’s Divisional Round game last season. In his return to action, Edwards-Helaire was limited to just 15 combined carries — 6 in the AFC Championship Game and 9 in the Super Bowl.
It’s also important to note that CEH missed time in 2020 with hamstring and hip injuries to go along with an ankle sprain.
The influence on Kansas City’s offense
Despite missing multiple games and playing time in several more, Edwards-Helaire still impressed as a rookie. During his rookie campaign, the former first-round pick ran the ball 181 times for 803 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also chipped in with 36 catches for 297 yards and a touchdown, giving him 1,100 all-purpose yards in 13 regular-season contests.
Following his return to action, he combined for just 94 all-purpose yards in those aforementioned 2020 postseason games. In preseason action this year, Edwards-Helaire ran the ball 7 times for 29 yards and caught 2 passes for 15 yards.
If 5 total touchdowns don’t quite do it for you, maybe the fact that he recorded a first down on 23.5% of his touches in 2020 does. Edwards-Helaire proved to be a valuable asset to the Chiefs’ rushing attack as well as their aerial assault out of the backfield.
The Chiefs’ backfield
While the injury is something to monitor, the Chiefs’ backfield could still prove to be formidable in 2021. With Edwards-Helaire slated to return in Week 1 of the regular season, he’ll be joined by Darrel Williams and Jerick McKinnon.
Williams carried the ball 39 times for 169 yards and 1 touchdown a season ago. Additionally, McKinnon hopes to restart his once-promising career. It still seems like yesterday that McKinnon signed a three-year, $17 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers.
Though he played just one season with the 49ers, McKinnon has produced 3,474 all-purpose yards and 18 total touchdowns in five seasons.
Edwards-Helaire is undoubtedly the most talented in the RB group. He should see the biggest workload out of the trio. The question is, how much time does he miss in 2021? His previous injury history certainly states monitoring his health will be a season-long task.
Is there a fantasy impact from this injury for Edwards-Helaire?
Given that it seems as though Edwards-Helaire should not miss any time, the initial impact of this injury is minimal. However, entering the season with any kind of “knock” is a concern for a running back.
In terms of Edwards-Helaire’s fantasy outlook, there of course has to be a concern in general. He was used inconsistently last year and with both Williams and McKinnon on the roster, there could be times they shoulder the load.
Last season, he finished as the RB22 and that should be the kind of finish you look at as a floor this season. Naturally, that could change with injury, but he should be an RB2 at the very least most weeks when on the field.
