EDITOR’S UPDATE: The Chiefs have signed RB Kareem Hunt to their practice squad, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Hunt ran for 411 yards with nine touchdowns for the Browns in 2023.
The mad dash to the fantasy football waiver wire is becoming increasingly important each passing week. Several top selections and high-impact players have suffered injuries to a varrying degree with the NFL season only two weeks in.
One of the latest names to join this unfortunate list is Isiah Pacheco. The Kansas City Chiefs running back reportedly suffered a fractured fibula which will land him on IR and force him to miss at least six weeks.
While this is not expected to end Pacheco’s season, it will force the Chiefs and fantasy football owners to come up with some sort of plan to survive while he is out.
Chiefs Running Back Options
Looking at the Chiefs’ depth chart, Carson Steele is officially listed as second behind Pacheco on ESPN. The UCLA product had a strong preseason that earned him the roster spot in Kansas City. He has received nine carries thus far in his NFL career which he took for 27 yards and lost a fumble.
Steele is a hard-nosed running back who is willing to take a defender on. He is expected to play as the fullback in some formations for Kansas City, but has a chance to establish himself as the true running back due to the Pacheco injury. He has good vision and size and seems to have fallen into good favor with the Chiefs organization already.
While it is tough to imagine Steele being used as the future back this quickly into his NFL career, he does seem to have the inside track on being in the mix.
The Chiefs also brought in Samaje Perine as a free agent this offseason. The 29-year-old spent last season with the Denver Broncos where he carved out a bit of a niche as the passing down back. Perine tallied a career-high 50 receptions which he turned into 455 yards last season.
So far in a Chiefs uniform, Perine has not received a carry and has only been targeted three times in the passing game. The eight-year veteran has not received primary touches as a featured back since his rookie year.
If these are to remain the two options at running back for the Chiefs, expect both to make their impact felt. Steele will have the inside track on rushing attempts while Perine will likely operate as the passing down specialist.
This is not great news from a fantasy football perspective especially considering Pacheco is more limited than the perception of him is. The Rutgers product is just the 17th-ranked running back based on DraftKings DFS scoring this year and finished last season as the 12th-ranked fantasy running back.
The other storyline to note is the Chiefs potentially bringing in another running back.
It has been reported that former Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt is returning for a visit. With the Kansas City running back group already being perceived as slim, it would not be a surprise if they give Hunt another chance.
During his rookie season with the Chiefs, Hunt led the entire NFL in rushing by producing 1327 yards on the ground. While 2017 was a long time ago at this point, he is still just 29 years old and recorded nine rushing touchdowns with the Browns last season.
If the Chiefs do elect to sign Hunt, he will be the most fantasy football-relevant player in the backfield. Both Steele and Perine will receive some snaps, but this unfortunately is shaping into a situation in which the widespread touches eat into each player’s production. Stay tuned about the decision regarding Hunt and be ready to pounce, but the ceiling is fairly limited on the current options to replace Pacheco’s production.
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