The expectations for the Kansas City Chiefs for most of Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid's tenure has been Super Bowl or bust. The Chiefs enter this season trying to get back to the Super Bowl after falling to the Philadelphia Eagles last season.
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One element from the Chiefs' offense that was missing in 2024 was the presence of a solidified run game. For most of the previous two seasons, the backfield had been anchored by Isiah Pacheco. That wasn't the case last year, in large part due injury, but can fantasy football managers count on Pacheco bouncing back this season? Matt Harmon and Justin Boone looked at Pacheco's rising ADP on the latest episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast.
Boone points out that Pacheco is healthy and that his competition in the backfield is pretty meager. Behind Pacheco are veterans Kareem Hunt and Elijah Mitchell, as well as rookie Brashard Smith. While Hunt and Mitchell could challenge for touches, and Smith has some pass-catching chops, it's really Pacheco's RB1 role to lose.
In 2024, Pacheco missed most of the season due to a fractured fibula sustained early in the season. He was able to return in Week 13 after missing nine games but didn't look like the same player. He would end up finishing the season with 3.7 yards per carry and was barely a factor in Kansas City's run to the Super Bowl.
Boone will gladly take Pacheco as his RB2 in drafts this season and Harmon later chimes in that this is the Chiefs, they're going to be a top-5 projected offense in terms of points, and having the RB1 on said offense wouldn't be a bad thing. Pacheco's current ADP has him as the RB24, right at the edge of the RB2 conversation in 12-team leagues.
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