The first two years of Isiah Pacheco’s career went as well as possible. He seized a sizable role as a seventh-round rookie, won a Super Bowl, then went back-to-back as the full-time starter. Running like the turf is on fire, he became a fixture in the offense. Injuries derailed him last year as Kansas City’s hopes for a three-peat were dashed. Now in year four, there are questions about his status as the Chiefs’ RB1. It brings a lot of doubt about his fantasy value when owners are considering their lineups.
Results have not been there for Pacheco through three games. His rushing lines have been 5/25/0, 10/22/0, and 10/45/0. The volume has not looked great, nor has the efficiency. He continues to offer little in the passing game, converting six targets into four catches for 13 yards on the season. As the PPR RB51, he’s been a rough investment in both standard fantasy football and DFS lineups.
However, at $5,000 in DraftKings DFS lobbies, he remains priced as an RB2. Some of this is due to the matchup as Baltimore is getting gashed on the ground. The Ravens have allowed the most rushing touchdowns in the league and the third-most rushing yards, which gives DFS players some hope. On top of that, Baltimore’s star run-stuffer Nnamdi Madubuike has already been ruled out for Sunday’s game with a neck injury. It’s as good of a matchup for a running back as you could hope for.
But I’m not so bullish. Kareem Hunt, as inevitable as death and taxes, has started to take the goal-line work. He already soaks up the majority of the passing-down work. With limited touchdown upside, Pacheco would need a lot of volume and rushing yards to capitalize on his value. I don’t trust that enough to make him a DFS play in Week 4.
