Should I drop Isiah Pacheco? Week 7 Fantasy projection for Chiefs RB

Isiah Pacheco seemingly had been one of the top budding stars on the Kansas City Chiefs as the new wave of offensive talent continues to settle in with Patrick Mahomes. However, his health had other plans. Pacheco's season isn't over for the Chiefs, but should it be over for your fantasy football team? Here's a look at the running back's prospects and a recommendation.

Should I drop Isiah Pacheco for Week 7 fantasy football?

Pacheco at NFL: Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs - Source: Imagn

The saving grace with Pacheco is he is on the Kansas City Chiefs' injured reserve. While having him available to play would obviously be ideal, having him on the injured reserve gives most fantasy managers options. Unless your injured reserve is already filled, you should be able to effectively stash him for later in the year.

However, if you are unable to do that, you have a difficult choice to make. If you are in desperate need of a player and love your bench otherwise, it might be worth dropping him. Better yet, if your league allows you to trade injured players, trading him is likely the better option.

Why not add a potential asset such as JuJu Smith-Schuster who you may have missed out on in the waiver sweepstakes instead of losing him with no return?

Isiah Pacheco fantasy outlook for rest of 2024 season

Isiah Pacheco at Cincinnati Bengals v Kansas City Chiefs - Source: Getty

Isiah Pacheco is somewhat stuck in no-man's land. He isn't at the start of his recovery, but he still has a decent way to go. According to Ian Rapoport via ESPN, Pacheco's fibula was due for a six to eight-week recovery a month ago. As such, the time for his return is somewhat near.

That said, it could take a week or two on top of the six to eight weeks to get back into the swing of things to be viable for fantasy. This would set him up to be available for the last few weeks of the fantasy football regular season and the playoffs.

Before the injury, he had 135 rushing yards and a touchdown over the course of two games. As such, expect him to be worth about 10 points per game upon his return. Of course, expect a few more carries for the back than at the start of the year as the weather begins to become less pass-friendly.

When he returns, he will likely be a weekly flex player or an RB2 type of talent.