Who Should I Start? Alvin Kamara or Isiah Pacheco

Wednesday, October 22, 6:28 PM

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (ankle) remains on the team's injury report heading into a Week 8 clash with the division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday and was listed as limited in Wednesday's practice, according to Luke Johnson of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Kamara was a DNP last Wednesday with his ankle injury, but he ended up returning to practice and was cleared from the final injury report. The 30-year-old five-time Pro Bowler ended up handling 11 carries for only 28 yards while catching all three of his targets for just one yard in the Week 7 loss to the Chicago Bears. However, Kamara did play a season-high 84% of the offensive snaps due to Kendre Miller (knee) suffering a torn ACL. Rookie Devin Neal will spell Kamara going forward. Kamara is still the Saints' lead back, but he's averaging a career-low 3.6 yards per carry and is showing signs of his age in his ninth NFL season.

Wednesday, October 22, 11:37 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco has had an underwhelming season so far in 2025, recording 314 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns on 77 total touches through his first seven games. However, there may be reason to believe that the 26-year-old is trending upwards. Pacheco has at least 12 carries and 51 rushing yards in each of his last two games. Additionally, the Chiefs' offense is getting healthier and has averaged 31.5 points per game over the last four weeks, which means Pacheco should see more red zone opportunities going forward. Kansas City will likely continue to split backfield work between Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, and Brashard Smith, which limits Pacheco's upside. Still, Pacheco has been stealing early-down work away from Hunt in recent weeks and has a higher upside in both real life and fantasy. Pacheco could be a good buy-low candidate for fantasy managers and profiles as a low-end RB2 heading into a Week 8 matchup against the Washington Commanders.