Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Tuesday that Edwards-Helaire (ankle) won't be activated from injured reserve ahead of Saturday's game against the Seahawks, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports. "He's getting close. He's not quite there yet, but he is getting close," Reid said of Edwards-Helaire. "He's working his tail off, but we'll see. He won't be out there this week."
Analysis: Edwards-Helaire was placed on IR in mid-November and is now eligible to return to the 53-man roster after missing the requisite four games, but the running back apparently hasn't progressed enough in his recovery from the high-ankle sprain to make it back for Week 16. Until the Chiefs designate him for return from IR -- which would open up a 21-day window wherein he can be evaluated during practice -- Edwards-Helaire's return to the lineup shouldn't be viewed as imminent. Even if Edwards-Helaire is able to make it back for Week 17 or Week 18, he may find himself third in the backfield pecking order behind Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon. Pacheco has averaged a respectable 4.5 yards per carry as the Chiefs' lead option on the ground during Edwards-Helaire's four-game absence, and McKinnon has accounted for five touchdowns and has averaged 5.2 yards per carry and 8.7 yards per target over that same stretch while serving as a change-of-pace option.
Dec 20, 2022 12:46 PM EST
The Chiefs placed Edwards-Helaire (ankle) on injured reserve Tuesday.
Analysis: Edwards-Helaire will miss a minimum of four games while he receovers from a high ankle sprain, with Week 16 against Seattle representing the earliest possible date for a return. Isiah Pacheco had supplanted him in the Kansas City backfield in recent weeks anyway, but Edwards-Helaire still had a role off the bench before injuring his ankle in the second quarter of Sunday's win over the Chargers. It'll be Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon leading the way for the Chiefs the next month, and Ronald Jones may also get some chances for the first time all year.
Nov 23, 2022 12:12 PM EST
Edwards-Helaire (ankle) is in line to be placed on IR, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.
Analysis: Look for the move to be made official later Wednesday, with Edwards-Helaire now in line to miss at least four games with a high ankle sprain. In his absence, Isiah Pacheco is slated to lead the Chiefs' ground game, with Jerick McKinnon on hand work in a complementary/change-of-pace role and Ronald Jones available in reserve.
Nov 23, 2022 9:55 AM EST
Edwards-Helaire sustained a high ankle sprain Sunday night against the Chargers, Nate Taylor of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: The report notes that Edwards-Helaire left the locker room Sunday with his right ankle in a walking boot, with the running back's status cloudy as this weekend's game against the Rams approaches. Even before injuring his ankle, Edwards-Helaire had been seeing a decreased workload, and if he misses time Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon would be in line to continue to lead Kansas City's backfield.
Nov 21, 2022 3:33 PM EST
Edwards-Helaire (ankle) won't return to Sunday's game against the Chargers.
Analysis: Edwards-Helaire had two carries for nine yards before getting hurt. He was ruled out at halftime. Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon will continue to split snaps in a Chiefs backfield that had largely phased out Edwards-Helaire prior to the injury.
Nov 20, 2022 7:15 PM EST
Edwards-Helaire played a season-low four snaps and didn't log a carry while failing to haul in either of his targets in Sunday's 27-17 win over the Jaguars.
Analysis: For the third game in a row, Edwards-Helaire ceded the start at running back to Isiah Pacheco, but Sunday marked the first time the latter took on anything resembling a starter's workload. With Pacheco getting off to a nice start to Sunday's game, head coach Andy Reid relied on him more heavily, with the Rutgers product finishing with 16 carries for 82 yards while playing 56 percent of the snaps. Edwards-Helaire, meanwhile, nearly fell out of the game plan entirely, while Jerick McKinnon (37 percent snap share, six receptions for 56 yards on eight targets) retained a role as the Chiefs' primary passing-down back. Given that Pacheco's strong outing perhaps only further solidified himself as the Chiefs' top option on early downs, Edwards-Helaire looks like he could find himself third in the pecking order for snaps out of the backfield moving forward.
Nov 14, 2022 9:45 AM EST
Edwards-Helaire rushed four times for five yards and caught one of two targets for 14 yards in Sunday's 20-17 overtime win over Tennessee.
Analysis: The Chiefs continued to deploy a three-pronged rushing attack, splitting the work fairly evenly between Edwards-Helaire, Jerick McKinnon and Isiah Pacheco. Unlike their last game, the trio failed to get anything going on the ground (14 combined rushing yards), and McKinnon was the only back to contribute anything meaningful as a receiver (six receptions for 40 yards). While it is tough to trust Edwards-Helaire after Sunday's dud, he does appear to still be the team's short-yardage back heading into a softer matchup against the Jaguars.
Nov 6, 2022 11:46 PM EST
Edwards-Helaire rushed six times for 32 yards and failed to bring in his lone target in Sunday's 44-23 win over the 49ers.
Analysis: It was reported before the game that Isiah Pacheco (8-43-0) would get the start over Edwards-Helaire, but that the latter would remain involved in the gameplan. That held true for the most part, and both backs performed well despite seeing single-digit touches. CEH has been inconsistent at times, but the overall results have been solid through two-plus seasons, so it is a bit surprising that he was demoted so suddenly. Kansas City is about to head into its bye week, so perhaps the team will shed more light on its backfield situation in the coming weeks. Fantasy managers should hang onto Edwards-Helaire through his bye if possible, because he can retain fantasy value even as the backup in a committee backfield of a potent offense.
Oct 23, 2022 8:11 PM EST
Edwards-Helaire's teammate Isiah Pacheco is a candidate to start Sunday's game against the 49ers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Analysis: The report notes that Pacheco took first-team reps in practice this week and is expected to draw the start Sunday, with Edwards-Helaire maintaining a key role in Kansas City's offense and Jerick McKinnon mixing in. Per Rapoport, both Pacheco and Edwards-Helaire are expected to see significant snaps against the 49ers, so Edwards-Helaire still figures to factor in, but the looming possibility that Pacheco (who logged just two carries in Week 6) assumes a larger role in Week 7 threatens Edwards-Helaire's fantasy ceiling.
Oct 23, 2022 5:31 AM EST
Edwards-Helaire carried the ball nine times for 33 yards in Sunday's 24-20 loss to the Bills.
Analysis: The Kansas City running game got stifled by the Buffalo front seven, but Edwards-Helaire also wasn't able to add any value through the air as he failed to even see a target for the first time this season. The running back does have five TDs through six games, but he could struggle to get into the end zone or gain much yardage in Week 7 against the 49ers' tough run defense.
Oct 16, 2022 7:08 PM EST
Edwards-Helaire rushed the ball nine times for 15 yards in Monday's 30-29 win over the Raiders. He added three receptions on four targets for 20 yards.
Analysis: Edwards-Helaire narrowly out-carried Jerick McKinnon 9-8, but he failed to get anything going on the ground. As has been the case throughout the season, Edwards-Helaire was more impressive as a receiver, and he managed multiple receptions for the fourth time in five games. He appeared to have a seven-yard touchdown reception midway through the second quarter, but he was ruled down at the one-yard line upon further review. While that would have improved his stat line, Edwards-Helaire's usage as a bellcow in Week 4 appears to be an outlier, as he now has fewer than 10 carries in all but one game on the campaign.
Oct 10, 2022 10:17 PM EST
Edwards-Helaire rushed 19 times for 92 yards and a touchdown while catching one pass for two yards and another score in Sunday's 41-31 win over the Buccaneers.
Analysis: Edwards-Helaire finally broke out after losing touches to other rushing options in Kansas City. Game script played a big role, as the Chiefs were up big from practically the opening kickoff (that was fumbled away by Tampa Bay). Still, this was the type of game that fantasy managers were hoping for from the third-year back following the departure of Tyreke Hill this past offseason. Isiah Pacheco (11 carries for 63 yards) appeared to have leap-frogged the struggling Jerick McKinnon as CEH's primary backup, so a shared backfield approach should continue in Kansas City. Edwards-Helaire will ride this high into a favorable matchup against the Raiders next Sunday.
Oct 2, 2022 11:11 PM EST
Edwards-Helaire rushed seven times for no gain and secured all five targets for 39 yards in the Chiefs' 20-17 loss to the Colts on Sunday.
Analysis: Edwards-Helaire had an exact split with Jerick McKinnon with respect to carries, but only the latter actually netted any positive yardage. CEH did make up for the lack of rushing production with a co-team-high reception tally, and he's quickly compiled 12 receptions in three games. Edwards-Helaire has yet to log double-digit carries, however, and he could well be in a fairly even timeshare again with McKinnon in a Week 4 road battle against the Buccaneers.
Sep 25, 2022 4:18 PM EST
Edwards-Helaire rushed eight times for 74 yards and brought in all four targets for 44 yards in the Chiefs' 27-24 win over the Chargers on Thursday night.
Analysis: Edwards-Helaire made several impressive plays in the passing game and then ripped off a game-long 52-yard run while also drawing a 15-yard face mask penalty on the first play of the Chiefs' penultimate possession to help set up a critical field goal. The third-year back has just 15 carries through two games, but with those totes netting 116 yards and another 77 yards and a pair of scores through the air, Edwards-Helaire has still given fantasy managers some meaningful production. He'll aim to keep churning out strong numbers in a Week 3 road clash with the Colts a week from Sunday.
Sep 15, 2022 8:49 PM EST
Edwards-Helaire carried the ball seven times for 42 yards while catching all three of his targets for 32 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 44-21 win over the Cardinals.
Analysis: The running back didn't end up being Kansas City's leading rusher -- that honor went to rookie Isiah Pacheco -- but Edwards-Helaire's contributions as a receiver more than made up for it. The third-year player came into 2022 with only three career receiving TDs in 23 NFL games, but with the team's passing game promising to be more spread out in the wake of Tyreek Hill's departure, Edwards-Helaire could have a much bigger role through the air this season.
Sep 11, 2022 5:07 PM EST
Edwards-Helaire got the start in Saturday's 24-14 preseason win over Washington and rushed twice for four yards.
Analysis: Fullback Michael Burton got the game's first carry, but the next two both went to Edwards-Helaire. The team electing to start CEH can be viewed as reaffirmation of his status as the lead back in an otherwise murky Chiefs backfield. After Edwards-Helaire played the first drive alongside Patrick Mahomes, rookie Isaiah Pacheco got the entirety of the second alongside the starting quarterback, rushing four times for eight yards.
Aug 20, 2022 4:24 PM EST
Edwards-Helaire has taken the first rep on almost every series at training camp, with Jerick McKinnon typically next through the rotation with the first-team offense, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.
Analysis: Sweeney notes that Ronald Jones, Isiah Pacheco and Derrick Gore have mixed in "from time to time" with the starters. Edwards-Helaire was on the PUP list to start camp, but only for a day, and he's still on track for a Week 1 start for the third time in three pro seasons. There is question about his ability to hold on to that role, with Jones providing competition for early downs and goal-line work, while McKinnon may be preferred in obvious passing situations. McKinnon outsnapped CEH three-to-one in KC's final two playoff games last season, albeit with Edwards-Helaire's ailing shoulder a considerable factor in that distribution. The 2020 first-round pick is still the favorite to lead the Chiefs in carries this year, even if the dreams of a three-down workhorse role are all but gone.
Aug 2, 2022 9:07 AM EST
The Chiefs activated Edwards-Helaire (undisclosed) from the active/physically unable to perform list Wednesday, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.
Analysis: Edwards-Helaire's stay on the PUP list to begin training camp ultimately only lasted one day, and he's already resumed practicing Wednesday. The 23-year-old is looking to get the most out of the first unrestricted offseason of his NFL career, after COVID-19 protocols made preparations for his rookie campaign mostly virtual, and gallbladder surgery set him back last offseason. Throughout training camp, the 2020 first-round pick should receive plenty of opportunities to solidify himself as the lead option in a revamped backfield that also houses Ronald Jones, Jerick McKinnon, Isiah Pacheco, Derrick Gore and Tayon Fleet-Davis.
Jul 27, 2022 8:48 AM EST
Edwards-Helaire (undisclosed) is participating in Wednesday's training camp session, Nate Taylor of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Edwards-Helaire was added to the active/physically unable to perform list Tuesday, but it looks like his stay will be a brief one. The Chiefs haven't yet officially activated Edwards-Helaire from the PUP list, but his participation in practice is a likely indication that such a move is coming. The 2020 first-round pick's fantasy prospects would stand to benefit if he's able to stay healthy and impress during training camp.
Jul 27, 2022 7:56 AM EST
Edwards-Helaire (undisclosed) could come off the PUP list in the next few days, according to Nate Taylor of The Athletic.
Analysis: Though the nature of Edwards-Helaire's injury has yet to be clarified, Taylor relays that he's be told the running back's issue is nothing major. For now, Ronald Jones, Jerick McKinnon, Isiah Pacheco, Derrick Gore and Tayon Fleet-Davis are slated to handle the Chiefs' backfield reps at the start of training camp.
Jul 26, 2022 3:12 PM EST
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