Who Should I Start? Isiah Pacheco or De'Von Achane


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.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
17.1 75.0 0.4 3.5 25.2 0.2

De'Von Achane News

De'Von Achane Bringing Consistency to New-Look Dolphins Offense

Wednesday, August 26, 5:25 AM

Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane was one of the few holdovers of a near-total offseason overhaul to the team's starting offense, and unsurprisingly, he has been one of Miami's most consistent performers throughout training camp, according to team writer Travis Wingfield. In the Dolphins' penultimate practice of camp on Tuesday, Achane successfully led the starting unit with a handful of explosive runs, and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik was later asked what he likes about the team's run game. "The versatility of what our personnel allows us to do," he said. "You can get on the perimeter; you can get on the edge... You can do stuff with [Malik Willis] in the run game. Obviously, [Achane] has speed to get to the edge. He can hit it up in the middle as well." The only running back in the NFL to score double-digit fantasy points in every one of his games in 2025, Achane is once more expected to be the focal point of the Dolphins' offense, and he is RotoBaller's RB11.


Isiah Pacheco vs. De'Von Achane

Still trying to decide between Pacheco and Achane? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Isiah Pacheco is projected to score 6.3 points this week while De'Von Achane is projected to score 17.1 points.