Who Should I Start? Alexander Mattison or Isiah Pacheco

Friday, October 30, 9:37 AM

Detroit Lions running back Isiah Pacheco (back) has not played a game since signing a one-year deal in the offseason, but head coach Dan Campbell told reporters on Friday that "there's a chance" he could be back in late December. Pacheco, who ran for 462 yards in his final season with the Kansas City Chiefs, is currently on Injured Reserve after undergoing back surgery in mid-September. A late-December return would fall in line with his initially projected recovery timeline of 12-14 weeks. Signed to serve as a backup to three-time Pro Bowler Jahmyr Gibbs, Pacheco's absence has left the Lions to lean on third-year player Sione Vaki to occasionally spell Gibbs, who has handled an 89.3% running back rush share on the way to his current RB1 standing.