Who Should I Start? Alvin Kamara or Isiah Pacheco


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
5.8 21.8 0.1 1.6 10.6 0.1

Alvin Kamara News

Kendre Miller Says He'll Take on Bigger Role with Alvin Kamara Injured

Monday, August 24, 5:27 PM

New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller expects a larger role following veteran Alvin Kamara's injury. Kamara sprained his MCL during a joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams and is expected to miss time, possibly into the regular season. Miller told the media on Monday, "It's always a next-man-up mentality. I have a bigger role now that AK is down, so I'm going to just take that and try to run with it." In three seasons, Miller has totaled 677 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns in 21 career games, though he has missed 30 games, including several hamstring injuries and a torn ACL he suffered in Week 7 last season. With former Jaguars running back Travis Etienne expected to handle most of the work in the backfield, Miller profiles as an early-season handcuff until Kamara returns. Fantasy managers should look to other options instead of Miller in the late rounds of fantasy drafts.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
6.3 31.2 0.2 0.9 6.4 0.0

Isiah Pacheco News

Isiah Pacheco Up in the Air for Week 1 With Back, Knee Injuries

Thursday, August 27, 8:37 AM

When asked about Detroit Lions running back Isiah Pacheco's (back, knee) status for the Week 1 regular-season opener against the New Orleans Saints, head coach Dan Campbell said, "I can't give you anything definitive." Campbell said that Pacheco picked up a back injury in training camp, in addition to his MCL sprain, according to Colton Pouncy of The Athletic. Right now, Pacheco's knee is not the concern. If the 27-year-old Pacheco is unavailable to play in the season opener in early September, Sione Vaki is likely to step up into the RB2 role in Detroit behind starter Jahmyr Gibbs. Pacheco ran for 1,765 yards and 12 touchdowns on 375 carries while adding 57 catches for 374 yards and two more TDs as a receiver in his first two years with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022 and 2023, but he combined for just 201 carries, 772 rushing yards, and two touchdowns in 20 games in the last two years while dealing with various injuries. When healthy, he's expected to be the backup in a change-of-pace role for Gibbs, but he is not selling himself as a handcuff target for fantasy managers with more injury issues before the start of the 2026 season. Right now, Pacheco is ranked as the RB54 at RotoBaller.


Alvin Kamara vs. Isiah Pacheco

Still trying to decide between Kamara and Pacheco? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Alvin Kamara is projected to score 5.8 points this week while Isiah Pacheco is projected to score 6.3 points.