Who Should I Start? Isiah Pacheco or Brian Robinson Jr.

Thursday, February 5, 11:28 AM

After an injury-marred campaign in 2024, Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco entered 2025 in need of a bounce-back effort. Unfortunately, the 26-year-old struggled with inefficiency, recording 563 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 137 touches across 13 games played. Pacheco averaged just 3.9 yards per carry, his second-straight season under four yards per rush attempt after averaging 4.7 yards per carry over the first two years of his career. Pacheco spent most of the 2025 season splitting backfield work with veteran Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt, with Hunt dominating touches in short-yardage situations and around the goal line. Pacheco is now set to hit unrestricted free agency, so he's not guaranteed to be back in Kansas City. Based on his performance over the last two seasons, it's not hard to imagine a scenario where Pacheco finds himself in a committee backfield or even a straight RB2 role for the 2026 season. In dynasty formats, Pacheco's future fantasy value profiles as uncertain at best coming off his shaky 2025 campaign.

Thursday, February 12, 9:02 AM

San Francisco 49ers running back Brian Robinson Jr. spent all of 2025 as the handcuff behind Christian McCaffrey. Now, he'll hit free agency with an opportunity to find a larger role elsewhere. We can't rule out a return to San Francisco, but given that Robinson is a three-time 700-yard rusher, he'll presumably get offers from teams looking to make him their 1B running back, rather than a true backup. Robinson's lone season on the West Coast resulted in a modest 400 rushing yards, 25 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. From a fantasy perspective, his 2026 outlook will heavily depend on where he ends up. He was a top-30 fantasy running back with the Commanders in both 2023 and 2024, so he could get back onto the weekly flex radar if he splits touches with another running back in an average or above-average offense.