Isiah Pacheco Fantasy Stats

The Detroit Lions are signing free-agent running back Isiah Pacheco to an undisclosed deal on Tuesday, a source told Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. Pacheco will essentially replace David Montgomery, who was traded to the Houston Texans, as the backfield complement to starter Jahmyr Gibbs in Detroit. The 27-year-old former seventh-rounder in 2022 out of Rutgers had 1,765 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns on 375 carries for the Chiefs in his first two years in the league, but injuries slowed him down the last two years, as he had a combined 772 rushing yards and only two rushing TDs on 201 carries in 2024 and 2025. The landing spot with the Lions is certainly a good one for a potential bounce-back campaign for Pacheco in his fifth year in the league, and he won't cost much late in drafts this fall as a handcuff for Gibbs.

The Athletic's Jesse Newell writes that Kansas City Chiefs impending free-agent running back Isiah Pacheco is "likely to sign elsewhere" in free agency this offseason. Pacheco did not show his pre-injury burst out of the backfield in 2025, averaging 3.9 yards per carry while rushing for 462 yards and just one touchdown on 118 rushing attempts in 13 games played. He ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL scouting combine, but he hasn't shown that same speed after a productive first two seasons in the NFL. In addition to his declining speed, he hasn't established himself as a receiving threat out of the backfield, with his 44-catch season in 2023 looking like an outlier. On top of injuries the last two seasons, Pacheco's fantasy stock is down as he enters free agency. Pacheco's 2026 fantasy value will depend on where he's playing, but most likely, he'll be involved in some sort of timeshare after struggling the last two seasons.

After an injury-marred campaign in 2024, Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco entered 2025 in need of a bounce-back effort. Unfortunately, the 26-year-old struggled with inefficiency, recording 563 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 137 touches across 13 games played. Pacheco averaged just 3.9 yards per carry, his second-straight season under four yards per rush attempt after averaging 4.7 yards per carry over the first two years of his career. Pacheco spent most of the 2025 season splitting backfield work with veteran Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt, with Hunt dominating touches in short-yardage situations and around the goal line. Pacheco is now set to hit unrestricted free agency, so he's not guaranteed to be back in Kansas City. Based on his performance over the last two seasons, it's not hard to imagine a scenario where Pacheco finds himself in a committee backfield or even a straight RB2 role for the 2026 season. In dynasty formats, Pacheco's future fantasy value profiles as uncertain at best coming off his shaky 2025 campaign.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (rest) is officially inactive for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Las Vegas Raiders. Pacheco had been listed as questionable after practicing in a limited capacity this past week. His reduced workload in practice was not injury-related, as the Chiefs allowed him to rest because they had already been eliminated from playoff contention. Kareem Hunt is active on Sunday afternoon and should operate as the primary running back in this Chris Oladokun-led offense. We also wouldn't be surprised to see rookie Brashard Smith earn more snaps if Kansas City wants to evaluate his role and viability for the 2026 campaign.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (rest) is officially listed as questionable for the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders after being limited in practice all week. Meanwhile, fellow RB Kareem Hunt (illness) practiced in full on Friday and was removed from the final injury report. Hunt missed the first two practices of the week. The Chiefs have nothing left to play for, so they could opt to rest Pacheco in the final game of the season. Pacheco began to see more work than Hunt in recent weeks, but with him potentially being rested in Week 18, fantasy managers would be smart to stay away. If Pacheco doesn't play this weekend, he'll finish his fourth year in the NFL with 118 carries for 462 yards and one touchdown on the ground in 13 games, adding 19 receptions for 101 yards and one more TD on 16 targets.

Across 13 games this season, Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco has recorded 563 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns on 137 touches. The 26-year-old has not recorded more than 34 rushing yards in a game or scored a rushing touchdown since Week 8. However, Pacheco maintains a consistent role in the Kansas City offense, averaging over 11 touches per game over the last three weeks. Pacheco appears to have wrestled the RB1 role for the Chiefs away from fellow back Kareem Hunt, as he's earned double the touches of Hunt over that same three-game period. Kansas City has been consistently chasing points during its ongoing five-game losing streak, which limits opportunities to run the football. However, the Chiefs could have a chance to play with a lead in their Week 18 matchup against the lowly Las Vegas Raiders. In fantasy leagues with 10 or more teams, Pacheco could be a running back worth targeting on the waiver wire heading into Week 18.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco has seemingly reclaimed his leadback role in the backfield, but it comes when the team turns to Chris Oladokun to be the starting quarterback. Pacheco rushed eight times for 34 yards, but the most surprising part of his stat line came in the receiving game. The 26-year-old was targeted a team-high seven times and caught six passes for 41 yards in last week's loss to the Tennessee Titans. The scoring opportunities will likely be few and far between for Pacheco, but once Oladokun stepped in as the starter, the running backs were targeted six times out of 16 attempts, and five of those went in Pacheco's direction. Pacheco will also have to deal with the Denver Broncos defense in Week 17. The Broncos have allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs and the second-fewest rushing yards per game this season. Pacheco is ranked RB37 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him an RB3/Flex option for the fantasy playoffs. It could be an ugly game for Pacheco, but he should get enough opportunities to be worth considering.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco took back over as the lead back for the Chiefs this week, stepping in ahead of veteran Kareem Hunt and taking eight carries for 34 yards while adding six catches for 41 yards in the team's loss to the Titans last week. Pacheco could be in for a heavy workload moving forward, since the team could phase out Hunt now that the playoffs are no longer a possibility. The team could take the next two weeks to evaluate Pacheco and rookie Brashard Smith for their future roles, but Pacheco is in a brutal matchup this week against the Broncos, who have been elite against the run. Pacheco does have touchdown-dependent upside and should get a good workload, but he's still a long-shot flex play to add off the waiver wire this week due to the matchup.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco played his highest snap count since returning from injury in Week 15. He led the Chiefs in carries last week but was inefficient, totaling just 21 yards on 11 carries. With quarterback Patrick Mahomes done for the season with a torn ACL, the Chiefs' offense could struggle, making it even more difficult for Pacheco to be a consistent fantasy starter. The Chiefs rank 15th in scoring offense with the two-time MVP as their quarterback. Now, they switch to Gardner Minshew, which is a clear downgrade from Mahomes. While an easy matchup against the Tennessee Titans could catapult Pacheco to FLEX territory, he's still tough to trust with Kareem Hunt in the picture and the Chiefs' offense likely to regress.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco led the backfield in the Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Pacheco handled 11 carries for 21 yards and did not earn a single target. The 26-year-old supplanted Kareem Hunt as the back with the most opportunities, but Pacheco only averaged 1.9 yards per carry with those opportunities. That said, he should retain the lead role in Week 16 against the Tennessee Titans. The Titans have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season, so Pacheco should have an easier time finding success on the ground. The Chiefs could also lean on the run game more with Patrick Mahomes out for the season. Minshew will step into the lead role at quarterback, which could decrease the overall efficiency of the offense. So, Pacheco may end up getting more work, but the scoring opportunities could be less frequent. Pacheco is ranked RB40 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him a low-end flex option this week.