Isiah

Pacheco

It was far from an inspiring performance from the backfield duo behind an offensive line missing three starters. Both backs managed only 30 yards, with Isiah Pacheco’s coming on only nine carries. The two continue to operate in a near-even split, although Hunt continues to see higher value touches near the end zone. Hunt had a terrific fourth-down rush where he bowled past Danielle Hunter, who had him dead to rights in the backfield, for the offense’s lone touchdown. There doesn’t appear to be much fantasy value remaining in the Kansas City backfield ahead of a showdown with the Chargers in Week 15.

Isiah Pacheco was also a full participant in Wednesday’s practice. Both players are good to go for Week 14. Coming off an 8-92-2 receiving line versus Dallas, Rice has cemented his spot near the top of the WR1 ranking. Pacheco, on the other hand, only saw three carries to Kareem Hunt’s 14. He cannot be started even in deep fantasy formats.

Pacheco was used sparingly in his return to the lineup following a three-game absence but looked fully healthy and spry when his number was called, with his 6.6 yards per opportunity handily leading the Kansas City backfield. Fantasy managers will need to remain patient with the speedy veteran as he works his way back into full health.

Pacheco will make his return to the Kansas City lineup after missing a few weeks with a knee injury. He’ll likely split the backfield workload with Kareem Hunt against the Cowboys in the Chiefs’ Thanksgiving Day game in Dallas. Hunt could be a flex option since he remains the team’s preferred red zone back. Pacheco should remain benched in normal sized fantasy leagues this week.

The Cowboys defense has been revitalized of late with their midseason acquisition of Quinnen Williams and did a great job handling Philadelphia’s run game, so it remains to be seen if this is the smash spot it looked a week ago. Still, Pacheco is an RB3/FLEX option this week and his return likely pushes Kareem Hunt into the same tier as the two have roughly split snaps when healthy this season.

Pacheco logged some limited practice time last week but was inactive for the Chiefs’ Week 12 win over the Colts. Kareem Hunt took over the KC backfield with 33 touches for 130 yards and a touchdown. That workload would be trimmed back to somewhere around a dozen touches if Pacheco is able to return for the team’s Thanksgiving Day matchup against Dallas. Hunt would become a 12-team flex option and Pacheco would be unplayable in all but the deepest fantasy formats.

We never like seeing wide receivers dealing with hamstring issues considering the nature of the position, but there likely isn’t reason to be concerned ahead of the team’s Thanksgiving matchup against the Cowboys. As things currently stand, Rice’s hamstring issue is nothing more than something to monitor on a short week. Running back Isiah Pacheco was listed as a full participant, making it likely he returns from a three-game absence in Week 13.

Pierce will start out on the Chiefs’ practice squad, but the fourth-year back could eventually work his way to the 53-man roster given the current state of the team’s backfield. Kareem Hunt currently leads the Chiefs’ backfield this season with 116-457-7, while Isiah Pacheco is second on that list with an underwhelming 78-329-1 in eight games. Pierce hasn’t come close to replicating the 939 yards he ran for as a rookie in 2022 and has handled only 50 carries since 2024. It’s highly unlikely he steps into a role that proves meaningful for fantasy with just five weeks left in the fantasy regular season/playoffs. However, those in deeper leagues in need of a backfield boost could consider stashing Pierce to see how things develop over the next few weeks.

Kareem Hunt gets to move back up to the RB2 line for another week. Pacheco practiced twice this week (we don’t have Friday’s report yet) but downgraded to a limited session on Thursday and was wearing a bulky brace on both Wednesday and Thursday. “It wasn’t a setback,” Andy Reid told reporters, “I think he’s coming out pretty good. I think that’s a plus.” Based on that there’s probably a real chance Pacheco is active for Week 13.

Pacheco was still out there and still wearing a bulky brace. The fact that this has been such a long layoff leaves us thinking he’s more on the questionable line than a sure start in Week 12 against the Colts. If he does make it to game day, he’ll be on the RB3/FLEX line while splitting carries with Kareem Hunt.