As the NFL season draws near, we are all seeking out what players we should draft onto our fantasy football teams. We take a look at two electric players for the Chiefs.
As many of you are anticipating the beginning of the 2020 NFL Season, this also means that Fantasy Football season is right around the corner as well. Like myself, I’m sure many of you are in a variety of leagues and have bragging rights, money, and lots of pride at stake each and every year. You sit there and do mock drafts, read articles about sleepers, who might be a bust in the upcoming year, etc.
We are now just going to look at two talented skill position players on the Chiefs. Let’s take a look at who I think will have a better season between Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Sammy Watkins.
For starters, we all know that Edwards-Helaire is going to be someone that is extremely sought out after in fantasy leagues this year, and for good reason. He is regarded as a perfect RB for what Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs want to do on offense. It came at a little bit of surprise considering most people thought the Chiefs had bigger needs at other positions, but Edwards-Helaire is just another dynamic weapon in an already explosive offense.
To determine Edwards-Helaire’s potential production, I took a look at every season Andy Reid has been in Kansas City and looked at the lead RB production from each season. I looked at touches, yards, and how many times the RB was able to get in the end zone. By doing this, I came across some very interesting numbers.
On average, the leading RB saw an average of 239 touches per season, per Pro-Football-Reference.com, under Andy Reid since 2013. According to PPR scoring format, based on the total of fantasy points scored by each leading RB since 2013, there is an average of 235 points each season! That is crazy production from the position, given what the Chiefs had at RB in between the Jamaal Charles and Kareem Hunt era. That means on average the Chiefs RB averaged .98 points per touch under Andy Reid. If Edwards-Helaire just gets 170 touches this season, he would be on average to score about 167 fantasy points (PPR Format). The only time a RB in KC under Andy Reid has seen less than 170 touches was ironically this year, Damien Williams led the backfield with 141 touches.
Now, what can we expect from Sammy Watkins?
As we all know, Sammy Watkins biggest downgrade is his injury history. When you draft him in your fantasy league, you’re hoping that this might be the year he plays all 16 games in Kansas City! For his prediction, I took all of his previous seasons and averaged them out and here is what I came up with.
Sammy was super productive in Buffalo before he became a member of the Rams, and that is where majority of his production has been. Sammy has had trouble staying on the field in Kansas City and also has the luck of playing next to Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce which cuts in his production as well. Sammy averages 150 points per season in standard PPR formats, per Pro-Football-Reference.com. This is based on the number of receptions, yards, and touchdowns during his career. Those numbers are nothing to get down about, but it isn’t great either. Sammy was obviously a huge part of why the Chiefs were able to win the Super Bowl this year, but again, the injuries are always a risk when drafting him. He is a productive player when he is on the field, but that’s always the key. If he stays healthy for 14, maybe 15 games, he could be a breakout star in fantasy this season.
Lastly, who do I think will have the better fantasy season?
I would put my money on Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The proof is in the pudding, if you put a talented RB combined with Andy Reid, you will get massive production. That is not to include Patrick Mahomes and all of his friends surrounding him every Sunday. I do believe Edwards-Helaire is going to get every chance to be the lead dog for the Chiefs to start the season.
As much hype and talent surrounds Edwards-Helaire, if he does end up being the starter in Week One, expect him to produce big. I would expect around 200-225 points if he is the starter right off the bat. With his unbelievable pass catching ability, mixed with his incredible balance and vision as a runner, there should be no reason that he isn’t insanely productive and in the contention for Rookie of the Year at the end of the season. Make sure you get Clyde Edwards-Helaire on your fantasy team or you will be regretting it.
