The Kansas City Chiefs‘ running back room is a land of opportunity in fantasy football, but should you add Clyde Edwards-Helaire or Kareem Hunt off waivers in Week 5?
Here, we give you all the pertinent analysis as to which Chiefs veteran demands the most consideration heading into the coming slate of games.
Should You Add Clyde Edwards-Helaire or Kareem Hunt in Week 5?
Hunt was drafted in the third round by the Chiefs in 2017, while Edwards-Helaire was drafted by Kansas City in Round 1 in 2020. Now, in 2024, both remain factors in an RB rotation that is unstable (to say the least) in light of Isiah Pacheco’s injury.
Pacheco is out for the foreseeable future after suffering a fractured fibula in Week 2. In his place, the Chiefs have employed a merry-go-round of journeyman runners. Undrafted rookie Carson Steele and the well-traveled Samaje Perine have rotated, plus Hunt is back after playing with the Cleveland Browns from 2019 through 2023.
Hunt, in fact, was brought back to Kansas City to hedge for Pacheco’s absence. And in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers, he ended up being the Chiefs’ most productive running back.
Steele got the start against the Chargers, and Perine got the game-winning touchdown, but Hunt received the most carries, had the most yards, and produced at the most efficient clip. Steele fumbled the ball early in the game, and Hunt would go on to be the team’s workhorse.
Kareem Hunt’s first snap since rejoining the Chiefs pic.twitter.com/kk7qIFK9W0
— Steve Walls (@SteveWallsKC) September 29, 2024
Overall, Hunt logged 14 carries for 69 yards in Week 4 against the Chargers, averaging almost five yards per attempt. He accounted for exactly two-thirds of the carries taken by the Chiefs’ RBs, and he performed very well within that sample.
Of the Chiefs’ previously healthy running backs, Hunt is easily the one most worth investment. However, there’s a wrinkle in the conversation — Edwards-Helaire is set to return after missing the first four games of the 2024 campaign on the non-football illness list.
Even with CEH’s return, however, Hunt seems like the better waiver wire play in fantasy. Hunt is fresh, and he looked like it in Week 4 — despite being quite literally signed off the couch after spending the summer and the preseason as a free agent.
Historically, Edwards-Helaire has been more potent as a receiving back at times, but Hunt has the better skill set as a volume runner. He’s larger and more instinctive, and that instinct, combined with his physicality and fluidity, shined in Week 4 against the Chargers.
Especially with Rashee Rice’s potentially season-ending injury, the Chiefs may need to rely more on their early-down running game in the weeks to come. Hunt fits that profile the best among their stable of running backs, and he’s also the hot hand at the moment, with fresh tread on his tires.
Prioritize Hunt among Kansas City’s RBs on your waiver claims, but keep an eye on Edwards-Helaire. CEH has perhaps the strongest preexisting chemistry with Patrick Mahomes, having been with the Chiefs for the past four seasons, and could be implemented more in the passing game.