Back in Week 1, it looked like Spencer Ware was going to destroy worlds with the Kansas City Chiefs. He had 199 yards from scrimmage with a touchdown as the Chiefs scored a come-from-behind victory against the San Diego Chargers.
Ware went on to top 100 yards from scrimmage just three more times the rest of the season, none of which came from Week 7 on.
Why does Week 7 matter in this situation? That was the final game that left guard Parker Ehinger played before tearing his ACL in Week 8. Ware and the Chiefs' ground game were never the same after that.
Ehinger had suffered an injury earlier in the season, too, preventing him from playing any offensive snaps from Week 2 through Week 4. In the four games he played at least 50% of the snaps, the Chiefs' backfield was cooking.
| Split | Rushes | Rushing NEP | Rushing NEP/P | Success Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| With Parker Ehinger | 93 | 2.19 | 0.02 | 37.63% |
| Without Parker Ehinger | 234 | -28.97 | -0.12 | 37.61% |
Success Rate is the category that stabilizes more quickly, and we should be putting more weight in that when drawing conclusions. However, the immense split in Rushing NEP per carry is enough to say Ehinger's absence made a difference.
If you owned Ware in fantasy, you likely noticed something was off later in the season. He had 540 yards from scrimmage in the four games where Ehinger played at least half the snaps and just 828 yards from scrimmage in his other 10 games combined. Part of that was a reduction in his receiving-down role, but Ware's rushing efficiency also hit the tubes.
Ware is under contract for 2017, and Jamaal Charles can be cut with no dead money against the cap. If Ware returns to be the lead back for the Chiefs next year and Ehinger's able to make a full recovery, Ware could be in line for a big bounce back after a relatively disappointing season.