The Kansas City Chiefs will visit the New England Patriots for their Week 15 showdown this Sunday and starting running back Isaiah Pacheco is still dealing with a shoulder injury ahead of the contest. Pacheco missed last Sunday’s 20-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills with the injury and backups Clyde Edwards-Helaire/Jerick McKinnon handled the rushing duties in his absence.
Isiah Pacheco injury updates
Friday PM update: The Chiefs have officially ruled out Pacheco for Sunday’s matchup against the Patriots.
Friday update: Pacheco was not spotted on the field during practice today, per ESPN’s Adam Teicher. He has not practiced all week and appears to be on the verge of being ruled out for his second straight game.
Fantasy football analysis
Pacheco’s continued absence is a huge blow for the Chiefs, whose offense is sputtering late in the season. It’s also a big inconvenience for fantasy managers as the playoffs get underway in most leagues. The second-year running back has tallied 779 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns on the season, entering Week 15 as the No. 12 fantasy RB in standard leagues.
If he’s declared out once again, then the aforementioned duo of Edwards-Helaire and McKinnon will once again be called into action to pick up the slack. They didn’t make much of an an impact against the Bills on the ground, combining for just 58 rushing yards off 15 carries.
Betting analysis
Take the over on any passing prop for Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs don’t have much of a run game without Pacheco and the two-time MVP is going to be forced to make 40-50 pass attempts until he comes back.