Isiah Pacheco was dynamic in the Super Bowl last season and emerged as the Kansas City Chiefs‘ lead back. Pacheco also had eight carries for 23 yards in a Week 1 defeat to the Lions.
What should fantasy football managers expect from Pacheco in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars?
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Should I Start or Sit Isiah Pacheco in Fantasy This Week?
Volume is crucial, and Pacheco only topped 20 carries once in his short career. He has only topped 100 yards one time. If you are hoping for catches from Pacheco, he has had two or fewer in, you guessed it, all but one game in his career.
Pacheco is the definition of a low-floor player who can, by no fault of his own, get a low score unless he falls in the end zone or breaks a long run.
He is similar to backups with upside like Samaje Perine and Joshua Kelley. Fantasy managers will love to put the “starting running back” in their lineup, especially for a high-powered offense like the Chiefs. This is a mistake in this case — unless you are low on options.
Please don’t hear what I am not saying or, in this case, writing. Pacheco has talent and could make me look silly with a few timely runs, but his track record since he took over the starting job in Week 9 of last season says that is unlikely.
Pacheco has been proving people wrong since he came into the league as a seventh-rounder, but that likely won’t translate to a great fantasy score in Week 2.
Fantasy Outlook for Pacheco vs. the Jaguars
We don’t know if the Jaguars have a good run defense yet. They held Deon Jackson and Jake Funk to 24 yards on 13 carries from the running back position. So are the Jags good against the run, or are the Colts, sans Jonathan Taylor, unable to move the ball on the ground?
I side somewhere in the middle and say the Jags are an average run defense. I see Pacheco as an average runner, so I don’t expect fireworks from the running game.
MORE: Week 2 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet
Every NFL skill player is startable in the right circumstances, but I would only start Pacheco if my options were slim. He will get on the field often, which is more than we can say for many NFL running backs, but I would only start him over part-time low-ceiling guys such as Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott, and Deon Jackson.
I would start high-upside guys over him unless you only need a steady couple of points guaranteed.