Isiah Pacheco Fantasy Stats

Detroit Lions running back Isiah Pacheco (knee) will not practice this week, according to head coach Dan Campbell. Pacheco suffered an MCL sprain during last week's practice, and it reportedly won't affect his Week 1 status. However, with Pacheco's injury and Jacob Saylors (ankle) dealing with a minor injury, the team signed running back Trayveon Williams to a one-year contract. If this knee sprain lingers as the season approaches, Pacheco could lose reps to star running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who has proven he can be a full workhorse back. Fantasy managers of Gibbs and Pacheco should monitor the former Kansas City Chiefs back's status closely, since missed time could impact both players in fantasy.

Detroit Lions running back Isiah Pacheco (knee) is dealing with a sprained MCL, but head coach Dan Campbell told the media that the team still feels good about his Week 1 availability, according to beat writer Nolan Bianchi. Pacheco signed a one-year deal in the offseason but having now missed a string of training camp practices, the Lions have leaned on third-year back Sione Vaki to handle an expanded workload as three-time Pro Bowler Jahmyr Gibbs ramps back up from an early training camp hold-in that resulted in him becoming the league's highest paid running back. After splitting the backfield with David Montgomery for his first three seasons, Gibbs is expected to handle close to a bell cow role in 2026, limiting Pacheco's standalone value but making him one of fantasy's most important handcuff backs and a player who can generally be found in the closing rounds of drafts as RotoBaller's RB44.

With an unexpected absence at the top of the depth chart, Detroit Lions running backs Isiah Pacheco and Sione Vaki have been splitting first-team reps in the early days of training camp. Three-time Pro Bowler Jahmyr Gibbs has not been practicing as he seeks a long-term contract extension, and head coach Dan Campbell is taking advantage of an opportunity to load his other backs up with valuable work. Pacheco signed a one-year deal this offseason and is expected to handle parts of the vacated David Montgomery role, while Vaki enters his third season with the team after Detroit spent a fourth-round pick on him following a collegiate career in which he played predominantly on the defensive side of the ball. While Campbell has expressed confidence that an extension with Gibbs will get done, he is not overlooking the situation in front of him and is using it to prepare both players for any unexpected call to action over the course of a long 17-game season.

When Detroit Lions veterans gather for training camp on July 28, free agent acquisition Isiah Pacheco will have his first opportunity to prove that the Lions still possess the top running back tandem in the league. Expectations are through the roof for three-time Pro Bowler Jahmyr Gibbs following the offseason trade that sent David Montgomery to the Texans, but having already handled 337 opportunities in 2025, it's unrealistic to think he'll absorb the bulk of Montgomery's 182 vacated touches, and so in factors Pacheco. After racking up more than 2,100 yards and 14 touchdowns across his first two years with the Chiefs, Pacheco has dealt with injuries over the past two seasons that have seen his efficiency plummet and limited him to only 952 total yards. In Detroit, he won't be asked to carry the load, but the opportunities he does see could be of the high-value variety, with the Lions again projected to have one of the highest-scoring offenses in the league and Montgomery averaging 16 carries from within the five-yard line over his three seasons with the team. At RotoBaller's WR43, Pacheco holds enough standalone value to make him worthy of selection at the end of 2026 drafts, but his true value comes through the insurance he provides as a back capable of handling an every-down role in a worst-case injury scenario.

The Detroit Lions have made it clear that running back Jahmyr Gibbs will be their bell-cow back in 2026, which means that newcomer Isiah Pacheco must prepare for a backup role in his new digs, according to Kory Woods of MLive Media Group. Pacheco, who won two Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs, signed a one-year deal with Detroit to replace David Montgomery, who was traded to the Houston Texans in early March. The 27-year-old former seventh-rounder in 2022 out of Rutgers started 31 of 34 games in the last three seasons in KC, but he's preparing for a much different role in Detroit. He's looking at a drastically reduced role in the Lions' backfield, especially after dealing with injuries in recent seasons. Pacheco missed nine games in 2024 with a broken right fibula and missed a month with an MCL sprain in 2024. In his first two years in the league, Pacheco averaged at least 4.6 yards per carry, but that number has dropped to 3.8 yards per attempt the last two years. Pacheco is committed to his new role behind Gibbs, but he has tumbled to No. 44 in RotoBaller's RB rankings for the 2026 campaign, making him more of a handcuff for Gibbs' managers.

Detroit Lions running back Isiah Pacheco enters 2026 in a backup role behind star Lions back Jahmyr Gibbs. It's a new role for Pacheco, who spent most of his first four seasons in the NFL as the RB1 for the Kansas City Chiefs. However, Pacheco has struggled with both injuries and ineffectiveness over the past two seasons, missing 14 games and averaging just 3.8 yards per carry since the start of the 2024 campaign. In Detroit, Pacheco's touches will be limited as long as Gibbs remains healthy. Still, former Lions RB2 David Montgomery recorded 908 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns across 17 games in 2025. If Pacheco can assume a similar role as the thunder to Gibbs' lightning, he could be a productive player for fantasy managers in 2026. Pacheco's handcuff appeal is obvious as well, as he profiles as the clear winner in the Detroit backfield if Gibbs suffers an injury. In redraft leagues, Pacheco could be a late-round sleeper to target in drafts.

Detroit Lions running back Isiah Pacheco finds himself in a new place for the 2026 season, and it could be exactly what he needs to get back on track as a fantasy-relevant running back in dynasty leagues. Pacheco spent his first four seasons with the Chiefs, finishing higher than RB37 just once. He was the RB15 in 2023, but injuries cost him 14 games over the last two years, and he wasn't particularly effective when healthy, either. The Chiefs used him as more of a primary running back, getting him involved on rushing and passing downs, while the Lions may use him as more of a short-yardage option to move the chains or get into the end zone. That could mean fewer touches and yards per carry, but more touchdowns and more of a clear-cut role. The new landing spot could vault Pacheco back into the top 36 fantasy running backs, making him a low-end RB3/flex on a weekly basis. As it stands, he is the RB55 in RotoBaller's latest dynasty rankings.

Detroit Lions running back Isiah Pacheco enters 2026 looking to revitalize his career after consecutive disastrous seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024 and 2025. A fractured fibula limited Pacheco to seven games in 2024, and he recorded just 563 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns across 13 games in 2025. The Lions signed Pacheco to a modest one-year, $1.8 million contract in free agency, and he figures to serve as the RB2 behind Jahmyr Gibbs in Detroit. While Gibbs' presence obviously limits Pacheco's fantasy upside, former Lions back David Montgomery collected 716 rushing yards and eight touchdowns while playing behind Gibbs in 2025. Should Pacheco see similar usage to Montgomery, he could be a matchup-dependent flex option while carrying latent handcuff upside. His dynasty stock has obviously taken a hit over the past couple of seasons, but Pacheco may still be a decent buy-low target for dynasty managers.

Veteran running back Isiah Pacheco had a disastrous year in his final season with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2025. Across 13 games, the 27-year-old recorded 563 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 137 touches. Pacheco signed a one-year contract with the Detroit Lions in free agency, where he will serve as the RB2 behind star Lions back Jahmyr Gibbs. Pacheco's star has fallen quite a bit in recent seasons, as he's failed to average four yards per carry since 2023 and has missed 14 games over the past two years due to injury. Still, Detroit is a solid landing spot for his fantasy value. Former Lions back David Montgomery scored 20 touchdowns over the past two seasons in a role similar to the one Pacheco will likely fill in 2026. Additionally, any injury to Gibbs would immediately vault Pacheco into the RB1 role in Detroit. In dynasty formats, Pacheco could be a decent buy-low target for fantasy managers.

Running back Isiah Pacheco signed a one-year, $1.81 million contract with the Detroit Lions in free agency this year after winning two Super Bowls in his first four NFL seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. The 27-year-old former seventh-round selection in the 2022 NFL draft out of Rutgers looked like a potential star in the NFL in his first two years in the league, averaging 4.7 yards per carry for 1,765 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns in 31 games (24 starts) in 2022 and 2023. He added 57 receptions on 63 targets for 374 yards and two additional touchdowns. The last two years, unfortunately, were injury-riddled disappointments, as he averaged 3.8 yards per tote for 772 yards and only two rushing TD in 20 games (18 starts), adding 31 catches for 180 yards and another receiving TD. In Detroit, he'll essentially replace David Montgomery as the RB2 behind do-it-all lead back Jahmyr Gibbs. There's some bounce-back potential if Pacheco is healthy, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect the kind of volume that Montgomery had with the Lions, especially not near the goal line.