Isiah Pacheco fantasy outlook: Will Chiefs RB have another great season after an injury-ridden offseason?

Isiah Pacheco was an unlikely hero for the Kansas City Chiefs during their championship run in 2022, with the rookie running back taking over starter duties from Clyde Edwards-Helaire and becoming a key piece of the offense, especially during the playoffs.

With Patrick Mahomes leading the fold, the running game will never be the key for the Chiefs in any season. However, Pacheco's production in 2022 makes him a possible sleeper in your fantasy draft, especially as he's the official leading back in Kansas City.

Isiah Pacheco's 2023 Fantasy Outlook

The Kansas City Chiefs running back made waves in his first season after arriving as a seventh-round pick, but quickly took over the starter role as his production was excellent - and Edwards-Helaire struggled for most of the year.

The Chiefs take the approach of a running-back-by-committee, which means that no player will have a huge share (70%) of the snaps. With Jerick McKinnon and Clyde Edwards-Helaire still on the team, Pacheco's workload will be between 55-60% of the snaps.

In 2022, Isiah Pacheco had 830 rushing yards and five touchdowns in a 4.9 yards-per-carry average. He added 130 receiving yards on 13 receptions.

Is Isiah Pacheco a good pick in Fantasy Football this year?

Pacheco is a good pick once you measure your expectations. It's always difficult to find good starter running backs after the first couple of rounds, so he's a good RB2 but not a good RB1, even if both positions are starters on your team.

He's never going to get the ball in the crunch moments, he's not present for most of the passing downs (this job belongs to Jerick McKinnon) and he's not a threat in the goal line. The one thing he does well? He runs very well with the ball.

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Where should you draft Isiah Pacheco this year?

With a consensus ADP of #75, Pacheco represents a good sixth-round pick. He'll probably be a little bit of a reach in the fourth round.

The thing with running backs from the Chiefs is that, unless they're present in passing downs, they're not good enough to lead your backfield. The same thing applies to Pacheco: there's no doubt about his quality as a runner, but he struggles a bit in terms of consistent production in fantasy football.

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