Who Should I Start? Alvin Kamara or Isiah Pacheco

Friday, December 12, 2:41 PM

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (knee, ankle) has been ruled out for the third straight week with injuries to his knee and ankle. 6th-round rookie Devin Neal (abdomen), coming off an RB12 finish in a Week 14 win over the Buccaneers, has been limited at practice with an abdomen issue of his own. The Saints' final practice report of the week bears watching, because if Neal is unable to suit up for a Week 15 divisional matchup with the Panthers, New Orleans is left with Audric Estime and Evan Hull atop the running back depth chart. Carolina's defense has been a plus matchup for opposing running backs, so if Neal is able to go on Sunday, he should be viewed as a safe floor RB2/flex play.

Friday, December 12, 4:18 PM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco handled nine carries for 30 yards in last week's 10-20 loss to the Houston Texans. In his second game back from injury, Pacheco's opportunities ticked up closer to Kareem Hunt, who handled 12 carries in the contest. Pacheco looked like the best back in the backfield before his knee injury, so the team may prefer to lean on him more as he gets healthier. Pacheco will have a chance to surpass Hunt this week against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers defense has been middle-of-the-pack in fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs this season, meaning that it should not be a difficult matchup for Pacheco. That said, splitting carries with Hunt in a divisional matchup could be a difficult situation to succeed in. Pacheco is ranked RB48 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him a difficult player to trust until he shows more upside.