Who Should I Start? Isiah Pacheco or James Cook

Saturday, September 27, 12:52 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco will take on the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in Week 4. Pacheco handled 10 carries for 45 yards and one catch for three yards in the 22-9 win over the New York Giants last week. The 26-year-old had a modest 4.5 yards per carry in the contest, but has only averaged 3.7 yards per carry on the season. Pacheco and Kareem Hunt have split the Chiefs backfield evenly this season, but neither back has pulled away as a favorite to handle more work. The modest Kansas City run game duo has failed to produce a rush over 11 yards in 48 combined carries this season. Pacheco has not looked the same since returning from his fibula fracture last season, and he'll need to improve his play before the Chiefs decide to make substantial changes to the run game. The good news is that Pacheco has the easiest matchup for running backs this week, the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season, and Pacheco could benefit from this advantageous matchup. Pacheco is ranked RB36 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, putting two spots behind Hunt and on the edge of RB3/Flex range. This could be a make-or-break week for Pacheco's role moving forward, so it will be interesting to see what he can do.

Sunday, September 28, 9:47 PM

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook posted another huge game in Week 4 in his team's 31-19 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Cook recorded 117 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries and added three catches for 18 yards for good measure as well. The 26-year-old has now logged 401 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 75 carries and 12 receptions for 89 yards through his first four games of 2025. He dominated backfield touches in Week 4, earning 22 out of 24 rush attempts by running backs for Buffalo against New Orleans. As long as he's healthy, Cook is a must-start fantasy running back.