Isiah Pacheco suffered an MCL sprain in late October against the Commanders that caused him to miss three games. Kareem Hunt picked up the full workload in his absence, carrying the ball 11, 13 and 30 times in those three contests that Pacheco missed.
Then on Thanksgiving, Pacheco returned. He only received three carries in that game against Dallas as they eased him back from injury while continuing to give the majority of carries to Hunt. On Sunday Night Football in Week 14, things got interesting. Pacheco saw his workload go from three carries to nine, while Hunt toted the rock 12 times. Hunt played 59% of snaps, while Pacheco saw 33%.
The concern here for Hunt owners is obvious: What if Pacheco sees his usage increased even further in Week 15? If that happens, he would likely surpass Hunt as the leader in the backfield. While that’s certainly possible, I think Hunt will continue to get more carries, but in a fairly split backfield. Hunt has only scored 15 FPTS or more in two games that Pacheco has also featured in. Pacheco has yet to eclipse 15 FPTS in any game so far this season.
Now, let’s take a look at the matchup for both of these backs in Week 15. It’s not the best matchup in the world, as the Chargers are an above average rush defense. They rank 14th in the NFL, allowing an average of 109 yards per game on the ground. They did just let Saquon Barkley run for 122 yards and a touchdown on Monday Night Football, but neither Hunt nor Pacheco is that level of running back.
If you are desperate and don’t have another option, I would lean towards Hunt. If you can afford to bench both, that would be the play.
