Brad Holmes: The hope is Pacheco returns this year

According to Rapoport, Pacheco “had surgery to remove a body that was pressing on a nerve in his back.” The 27-year-old back is looking at a 12-week recovery, but if all goes well, he could return for the final month of the season. If the Lions don’t add anybody to their backfield in the coming days/weeks, Sione Vaki and Jacob Saylors will continue to serve as the primary backups behind Jahmyr Gibbs.

It’s hard to imagine either Vaki or Saylors having meaningful fantasy value at this point in the season, but it sounds like both will be on the field while Isiah Pacheco (back) is sidelined for at least the first four games of the season. Judging by how Campbell sounded when discussing each player, it sounded like Saylors might be closer to the official RB2, but Campbell didn’t mince words when he said, “I see Vaki getting some reps, too.” Fantasy managers interested in taking a shot on a Lions running back not named Jahmyr Gibbs can consider both Saylors and Vaki as late-round dart throws until we see how their snap shares look in the coming weeks.

It’s a familiar place for the 27-year-old running back. He’ll miss at least the first four weeks of the season. It sounds like former UFL star Jacob Saylors will enter Week 1 as the favorite for whatever portion of the carries Jahmyr Gibbs doesn’t take, not that it figures to be many.

This is probably forecasting that Pacheco will be doubtful at best for Week 1. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues can speculatively pick up Saylors, who had 17 carries for 100 yards in Detroit’s win over the Colts on Saturday. Saylors led the UFL in rushing in 2024 and finished second in the league in 2025 before signing with the Lions that offseason.

Campbell said the MCL injury isn’t a concern, but he still could not give reporters a definitive answer on Pacheco’s Week 1 availability. The Lions worked out Pacheco’s former teammate Kareem Hunt earlier this week. With Pacheco banged up once again, it would be surprising for the team to sign Hunt ahead of Week 1. At this point, fantasy managers can ignore Pacheco in drafts until we get a better update.

Pacheco is expected to serve as the backup to Jahmyr Gibbs. He has missed the last few days of practice due to his injury, but Campbell doesn’t appear overly concerned about his availability when it comes to the start of the season. Speaking to the media on Monday, Campbell said: “We feel pretty good about him being ready to go, especially when the season gets here.” As far as fantasy is concerned, Pacheco shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a backup for Gibbs, he has no standalone value.

It’s safe to assume Jahmyr Gibbs would be safe from any rookie running back the Lions add to their roster via the draft, but Isiah Pacheco, who was signed to a one-year, $1.8 million contract this offseason, may not be as safe. Pacheco, 27, was brought in to replace David Montgomery, who was traded to the Texans earlier this month, and the veteran running back appears to have lost a step or two after averaging over 4.5 YPC his first two years in the league. The Lions have picks in the first and second round of this year’s draft, but then won’t be on the clock again until the fourth round with the No. 118 overall pick. Any player selected on Day 3 could face an uphill battle to usurp Pacheco on the depth chart before Week 1, but any additions could make for interesting late-round flyers in fantasy drafts.

As evidenced by his meager contract, Pacheco won’t have much of a standalone role in the Detroit offense. Pacheco was heavily rumored to be of no interest to the Chiefs on a return deal this offseason. He winds up behind a great line, but with no path to fantasy relevance beyond an injury to Gibbs.

Etienne will become an unrestricted free agent when free agency officially begins. This would be quite the fun pairing. The Chiefs’ offense, featuring RBs Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco, averaged just 4.2 yards per carry during the regular season, ranking 20th in the NFL. Adding an explosive player like Etienne would be a significant upgrade. Both Hunt and Pacheco are set to become free agents as well.

It was reported last month by ESPN’s Nate Taylor that the Chiefs are “expected” to have a new starting running back for next season. While that didn’t completely rule out the idea of Pacheco re-upping with the team this offseason, Newell’s belief that Pacheco will be playing for another team in 2026 doesn’t come as much of a surprise. The Chiefs tried to ride the momentum o the 26-year-old speedster for as long as they could, but injuries have plague Pacheco for the last two seasons, and he’s averaged less than 4.0 YPC over that span. The lack of receiving upside further caps Pacheco’s upside, and as last season went on, it was apparent that a younger, more talented back would help an offense that struggled last season. Plenty of teams should be willing to take a flier on Pacheco this offseason on a one-year prove-it deal, but we would expect most of his touches to come on early downs wherever he lands.