Clyde Edwards-Helaire Week 9 Outlook - Panthers at Chiefs

By Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros), Mon, Nov 2nd 2020, 4:45pm EST

This backfield has been anything but potent this year, though much of it comes down to a lack of volume, as they've averaged a pedestrian 26.0 touches per game. Last week was the first one Edwards-Helaire hasn't finished as a top-30 running back, so he's delivered a floor, but not much of a ceiling. Will that change this week against the Panthers? A massive 41.7 percent of the fantasy points scored by skill-position players against them has come via the running back position. The Packers are the only team who's allowed a higher percentage. When you look at fantasy points allowed to wide receivers, 31 teams in the league have allowed more points to wide receivers, but the Panthers are close to not being in that group, as they've allowed just 1.15 PPR more points per game to wide receivers than running backs. There should be a lot of production to be had in this game out of this backfield. What if I told you that running backs outscore quarterbacks by a full 14.62 PPR points per game against the Panthers? That's the second-highest number in the NFL. A lot of damage is done on the ground, as evidenced by the 4.67 yards per carry and touchdown every 20.3 carries, but they've also allowed 13.1 PPR points per game through the air to running backs, which is one of the highest marks in the league. Edwards-Helaire did play twice the number of snaps that Bell did last week, so we should still be expecting 15-plus touches out of Edwards-Helaire against a Panthers team that's faced 30.1 running back touches per game. Through eight games, they've allowed seven running backs to score 13.7-plus PPR points and finish as top-20 options, including five top-three performances. Edwards-Helaire should be back in lineups as a low-end RB1/high-end RB2 this week who should bounce back.