Game status update: Pacheco is active for the Chiefs in Week 3.
RB Isiah Pacheco, WR Kadarius Toney and Willie Gay are all active for the Chiefs today vs. Bears.
— Matt Derrick (@mattderrick) September 24, 2023
Game day update: Isiah Pacheco is expected to be good to play on Sunday vs. the Bears, according to Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter. He can be started like normal in all fantasy formats. He has some upside in DFS given the potential game script against an overmatched Bears team.
Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco has a hamstring injury. It’s a new issue, a result of last week’s contest against the Jaguars, and the team gave him a questionable tag on the official injury report for this week’s game against the Chicago Bears.
The good news is that Pacheco did manage to practice on Thursday and Friday in a limited role, after sitting out Wednesday’s session. All signs point toward him suiting up for this one, but it’ll be worth monitoring the news in case he can’t go. Kickoff is at 4:25 p.m. ET.
Betting and DFS implications for Week 3
Pacheco has been the Chiefs’ leading rushing, by a big margin, through two weeks of the season so far. He’s got 93 yards on 20 carries; the next closest is quarterback Patrick Mahomes with 17 yards on the ground.
The Chiefs certainly don’t need Pacheco in uniform to cover as 12.5-point favorites against a reeling Bears team. And the over on 48 points still feels safe without him too.
Pacheco’s fantasy appeal this week is that of a low-end RB2, thanks in part to the matchup. There could be some garbage time work to help pad his stats. If he can’t go, Clyde Edwards-Helaire would handle most of the running game, which would give him some appeal as a second-tier bargain flex play in DFS lineups.