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Friday update: Coach Andy Reid wasn’t all that helpful for fantasy managers wondering how much work Le’Veon Bell will see in his first game with the Chiefs.
Asked Andy Reid how much Le’Veon Bell can play Sunday against the #broncos. He said they plan to meet together later today and see where Bell is at with his comfort. Reid thinks he’s picked everything up really well and thinks he’ll be able to get some snaps.
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) October 23, 2020
Clyde Edwards-Helaire has played well enough to hold of Bell for this week, so I expect sitting Bell in most leagues is the best move.
Kansas City Chiefs new running back Le’Veon Bell will practice for the first time with his new team on Wednesday. When asked about Bell’s availability for Sunday, Andy Reid told reporters that, “We’ll take it day-by-day and see what he’s comfortable with,” per Matt McMullen.
With rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire already leading the way and playing productively, the Chiefs can ease Bell into the offense. They will likely see what he is most comfortable with in practice and get him involved that way. I wouldn’t expect more than 5-10 touches in his first game with the team.
Bell’s known for his route running abd ability as a receiver and Patrick Mahomes mentioned getting him involved in that way early on:
Patrick Mahomes raves about Le'Veon Bell's receiving skills, says Bell is a mismatch coming out of the backfield. Mahomes adds he's sure Bell is excited knowing he'll likely line up against LBs in Chiefs offense.
— Herbie Teope (@HerbieTeope) October 21, 2020
If he can be successful as a receiver in a pass-first offense, his upside in fantasy will be high, though inconsistent depending on his overall usage in comparison with Edwards-Helaire. Bell will likely need to out-play the rookie back to move into the lead of a committee backfield and Edwards-Helaire has been playing well enough that passing him up will be tough.
Bell does seem to understand that he’ll have to find a way to fit into the offense and that he won’t be the lead back:
Le'Veon Bell said he's fine taking a lesser role with Chiefs than he had with previous teams. "When I decided to come here, I knew the weapons they have and there's only one football.''
— Adam Teicher (@adamteicher) October 21, 2020
For fantasy, he will likely get into a place where he’s useful as a flex play and then possibly more as the season goes on, but when that happens is up in the air. His presence isn’t going to help Edwards-Helaire by any stretch, but starting out, we shouldn’t drop him too far in the rankings until we see how much Bell has left in the tank.