Who Should I Start? Isiah Pacheco or James Cook

Wednesday, November 12, 1:18 PM

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said that running back Isiah Pacheco (knee) will not practice on Wednesday, according to Jesse Newell of The Athletic. The Chiefs are coming off their bye week, but it's looking like Pacheco will be held out for another game in Week 11 against the division-rival Denver Broncos as a precaution. He did not play in the Week 9 loss to the Buffalo Bills, which led to more work for rookie Brashard Smith and Clyde Edwards-Helaire in a change-of-pace role behind veteran Kareem Hunt. In that loss to Buffalo, Hunt handled 11 carries for 49 yards and a touchdown and added one catch for six yards, with Smith and Edwards-Helaire combining for only five rushing attempts. If Pacheco misses his second straight game this weekend, it will be hard to trust Smith or CEH in fantasy lineups, especially against a stout Denver defense.

Saturday, November 8, 11:51 AM

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook has been removed from the injury report and will play Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, presumably without any limitations. This is great news for Cook and his fantasy managers, as a matchup against the Dolphins provides an enormous opportunity for the 26-year-old to rack up fantasy points. Miami has been miserable against the run this year, surrendering the third-most rushing yards and fifth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs in 2025. Cook is the overall RB7 in PPR leagues so far with 867 rushing yards, 100 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns. In his last outing against Miami, he accrued 118 scrimmage yards and one touchdown. Fantasy managers should have full confidence deploying Cook as a mid-to-high RB1 this week.