Who Should I Start? Isiah Pacheco or James Cook

Saturday, August 16, 1:59 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco only had one touch in the 16-33 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, but he looked good on that play. Pacheco corralled a third-down reception and turned it into a 22-yard gain. Pacheco reached 17 miles per hour on that run, a good sign for his health. His work in the preseason has remained limited, which bodes well for his value in the regular season. After missing time due to injury last season, Pacheco is set to begin the year fully healthy and carry the load as Kansas City's lead back.

Wednesday, August 13, 9:13 AM

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook is officially back in the fold after signing a four-year contract extension with his team on Wednesday. Soon after the signing was announced, Buffalo GM Brandon Beane told reporters that he views Cook as a three-down back. Beane said, "We do feel he can take more, but we like to use our three options and keep him fresh." Cook often lost passing-down work to Ty Johnson last season and only played on 48% of Buffalo's offensive snaps. It is unlikely that Buffalo installs Cook as their workhorse, as their running game was effective in 2024, but it would be a positive for fantasy managers if the Bills shifted some of the targets in the passing game onto Cook's plate. Either way, he sets up as a solid RB2 in fantasy with an RB1 ceiling if he starts catching more passes.