Who Should I Start? Alvin Kamara or Isiah Pacheco

Friday, November 28, 3:27 PM

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (ankle, knee) has been ruled out for his team's Week 13 matchup against the Miami Dolphins, per ESPN's Katherine Terrell. Kamara has been managing an ankle issue for much of the season, and he suffered a knee sprain in Week 12 that is expected to cause him to miss some time. However, he's not a candidate to go on Injured Reserve at this time. With Kamara and running back Kendre Miller (knee) sidelined, New Orleans will likely turn to rookie sixth-rounder Devin Neal as its lead back against Miami. Neal has recorded 125 scrimmage yards on 29 touches across seven games played so far this season. The Saints also have former Broncos running back Audric Estime in their backfield mix, and tight end Taysom Hill is always a candidate for some short-yardage rushing work. With Kamara out, Neal profiles as a low-end fantasy RB2 in Week 13.

Thursday, November 27, 12:13 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (knee) doesn't have an injury designation heading into Thanksgiving's game against the Dallas Cowboys. Pacheco has missed three straight games since suffering an MCL sprain during Kansas City's Week 8 win over the Washington Commanders. The 26-year-old logged three full practices this week, and it will be interesting to see how the running back touches will be distributed in his return on Thursday. Kareem Hunt has handled a big workload in Pacheco's absence, and just recorded a career high 30 carries in last week's win over the Indianapolis Colts. Rookie Brashard Smith has held a small role, mostly on designed touches. Pacheco was the Chiefs' leading rusher before getting injured, but he will likely be eased back into action and split touches with Hunt. He is ranked as RotoBaller's RB41 in PPR leagues for Thanksgiving's game against the Cowboys.