Isiah Pacheco was a fantasy football phenom in 2022 after being drafted at the end of the NFL Draft. He emerged as a viable starter for fantasy purposes and was an integral part of the Kansas City Chiefs‘ Super Bowl run last year.
While the second-year RB hasn’t gotten off to a massive start here in 2023, he’s still shown flashes of being a top-15 option for fantasy lineups. Will a recent injury sideline him for Week 3 and beyond, though? Let’s take a look at the latest news surrounding Pacheco.
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Latest News Surrounding Isiah Pacheco
Coming out of Week 2, fantasy managers didn’t anticipate seeing Pacheco’s name on the injury report. He showed solid power and explosiveness in KC’s recent matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars on his way to 70 total yards of production, but he missed practice to begin the week with a hamstring injury.
The #Chiefs say 5 players won't practice, and they are all key players: WR/KR Richie James (MCL), RB Isiah Pacheco (hamstring), WR Kadarius Toney (toe), LB Nick Bolton (ankle) and LB Willie Gay Jr. (quad).
— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) September 20, 2023
There are some types of injuries that fantasy managers should be less concerned with, but a hamstring issue for an RB is a bit of a red flag. As we know with Cooper Kupp, the only way to fully recover from a hamstring injury is to rest and let your body fully recover.
If you rush back out onto the field too early and attempt to play at full speed — which Pacheco does on every single snap — you could potentially harm yourself even more and risk being placed on injured reserve.
The practice reports for Thursday and Friday this week will be massive to monitor for fantasy managers who are hoping to plug Pacheco into their lineup in a smash spot against the Chicago Bears’ leaky run defense. He has top-10 upside in Week 3, but it won’t come to fruition if he’s not at 100%.
We encourage you to check back in here frequently for the latest information regarding the talented Chiefs RB as his status for Sunday becomes a bit clearer.
What Does This Mean for Pacheco’s Fantasy Ranking?
For the time being, Pacheco takes a bit of a tumble down Week 3 rankings. It’s simply not a guarantee that he’s going to be out there or operating at 100%. If he returns to practice in full by Friday, though, fantasy managers shouldn’t hesitate to start him as a top-20 play.
MORE: Fantasy Football’s Week 3 Burning Start/Sit Questions
If Pacheco cannot suit up for this showdown against the Bears, Clyde Edwards-Helaire becomes an interesting pick-up off of the waiver wire with so many other injuries at the RB position to navigate. Jerick McKinnon would also likely see an uptick in volume, but the Chiefs figure to lead by plenty in this one, and they may not need their receiving back as much.