Isiah Pacheco Kansas City Chiefs

Is Kansas City Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco ready to explode?

Two strong seasons put Pacheco on the cusp of something big.

The Kansas City Chiefs have a history of developing role players during the Andy Reid era, but few have made the meteoric rise running back Isiah Pacheco has accomplished in two seasons. The 251st pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, Pacheco had no guarantee of making the final roster – more seventh-round picks don’t than do. However, Pacheco made an immediate impact and earned a part-time role in the offense.

Strengthened by a strong training camp, Pacheco started the season as the No. 2 back behind incumbent Clyde Edwards-Helaire. It wasn’t until midseason that Pacheco took over the starting job and finished the year with 170 carries for 830 yards and five touchdowns. He backed up that performance with a three-game postseason run when he rushed 37 times for 197 yards and one touchdown, setting the stage to permanently take over the running back position in 2023.

[lawrence-related id=490285]

The primary knock against Pacheco has been that he doesn’t have the size to withstand the punishment running backs absorb over the course of a full season and could carry a higher risk level of missing significant time than other top running backs. Pacheco threw that criticism out the window last year. In 14 games last season (rested Week 18), he had 205 carries for 935 yards and seven rushing touchdowns. He had 15 or more carries in nine of the final 12 games of the regular season and logged 81 carries for 313 yards and three touchdowns in four postseason games. If there was question as to whether Pacheco could hold up as a featured workhorse back, he silenced his doubters.

However, what helped Pacheco ascend to an elite fantasy running back was his improvement as a receiver. In 17 games as a rookie, Pacheco caught just 13 passes. In 14 games last season, he landed 44 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns. He had at least one reception in 13 of 14 games and four or more catches in six of those.

Heading into his third season, Pacheco has earned the confidence of his coaches and teammates to be a critical piece of the Chiefs offense and one of the NFL’s top fantasy running backs.

Fantasy football outlook

Few players were more consistent last year in terms of touches and production than Pacheco. He never went more than two games without 15 or more rushing attempts in a game and scored at least one touchdown in eight of 14 games. There was never a point in which he had a prolonged lull in production and scoring fantasy points.

While Kansas City’s offense is formed around quarterback Patrick Mahomes, it can be argued the player who makes the offense run at a high level is Pacheco. In a 12-owner league, Pacheco is a low-end RB1 with as much upside as any running back outside the top five.

Is it officially time to get onto the Isiah Pacheco hype train?

The unheralded rookie is making a name for himself in fantasy circles.

When the Kansas City Chiefs spent a seventh-round selection on running back Isiah Pacheco, nobody blinked an eye — that isn’t surprising for a back that averaged just 3.9 yards per carry and 1.9 yards per catch with Rutgers last year. It was more than just the uninspiring production, as the Chiefs had signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Ronald Jones, who is just one year removed from rushing for 978 yards and seven TDs, and re-signed Jerick McKinnon, the oft-injured back who had put up big numbers during KC’s postseason run.

With Clyde Edwards-Helaire penciled in as the starter, Jones referred to the trio of himself, CEH, and McKinnon as a “1-2-3 punch” during the offseason. That presumably left Pacheco and Derrick Gore, who averaged 5.0 yards per carry as a rookie, to battle for the fourth spot, whether that be on the 53-man roster or the practice squad. Much has happened since.

Pacheco has enjoyed a strong camp, adding value with his play on special teams, while RoJo has failed to impress, putting the veteran squarely on the roster bubble. Gore (thumb), meanwhile, landed on the Reserve/Injured list with a thumb injury and was subsequently released with an injury settlement.

[listicle id=468074]

At this point, Pacheco, who ran for 52 yards on 10 carries in the preseason finale, looks to have secured the No. 3 spot on the depth chart behind Edwards-Helaire and McKinnon. While being RB3 for a team doesn’t usually afford much status, you needn’t think very hard on why there could be extenuating circumstances as both players ahead of Pacheco have had trouble staying on the field.

For CEH, that involves missing three games as a rookie and seven in 2021. An ankle injury was the culprit in his first year, while it was a sprained MCL that felled him last season. Upon returning, Edwards-Helaire was used sparingly, topping 10 carries in a game just twice in seven contests (including playoffs). With such a dicey injury history, the Chiefs may continue to limit his touches to keep him on the field.

McKinnon has an even longer injury history, having missed both the 2018 and 2019 seasons completely after suffering a torn ACL. He has appeared in 29 of a possible 33 games the past two years, though he logged just 25 combined touches in the regular season before starring in the playoffs. Suffice to say that the 30-year-old back isn’t the most bulletproof of options.

Fantasy football outlook

While there are worse spots to be in than the No. 3 back on a high-powered offense, Pacheco’s value will likely be determined in large by the health of the players ahead of him on the depth chart. If Edwards-Helaire and McKinnon can buck the odds and stay on the field, Pacheco could spend his rookie year seeing spot duty and returning kicks. He’s a late-round stash candidate with some viable upside, but again his ability to realize that potential appears out of his control.