Who Should I Start? Isiah Pacheco or Jaylen Warren


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
11.0 38.5 0.4 2.4 15.5 0.1

Isiah Pacheco News

Lions Signing Isiah Pacheco on Tuesday

Tuesday, March 10, 9:18 AM

The Detroit Lions are signing free-agent running back Isiah Pacheco to an undisclosed deal on Tuesday, a source told Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. Pacheco will essentially replace David Montgomery, who was traded to the Houston Texans, as the backfield complement to starter Jahmyr Gibbs in Detroit. The 27-year-old former seventh-rounder in 2022 out of Rutgers had 1,765 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns on 375 carries for the Chiefs in his first two years in the league, but injuries slowed him down the last two years, as he had a combined 772 rushing yards and only two rushing TDs on 201 carries in 2024 and 2025. The landing spot with the Lions is certainly a good one for a potential bounce-back campaign for Pacheco in his fifth year in the league, and he won't cost much late in drafts this fall as a handcuff for Gibbs.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
15.4 58.1 0.6 3.3 22.6 0.1

Jaylen Warren News

Jaylen Warren Likely to be in Third-Down, Change-of-Pace Role in 2026

Tuesday, March 10, 10:19 AM

The Athletic's Saad Yousuf, Dianna Russini, and Mike DeFabo believe that with the addition of new running back Rico Dowdle in free agency, "there's a good shot" that Dowdle will be in the 1A role, and Pittsburgh Steelers RB Jaylen Warren will be the "change-of-pace" back. The 5-foot-8 Warren has been "at his best in a third-down role and out of the shotgun." It means that the 27-year-old will likely take over the pass-catching duties that Kenneth Gainwell had in 2025, when he caught a career-high 73 passes for 486 yards and three touchdowns in 17 regular-season games. Warren was the RB17 in half-PPR scoring last year, going for a career-high 958 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground on 211 carries in 16 games, adding 40 catches for 333 yards and two TDs as a pass-catcher. The addition of Dowdle is definitely a big hit to Warren's overall fantasy value going into 2026, but his role as a pass-catcher shouldn't be taken lightly in PPR formats, especially if veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers returns.


Isiah Pacheco vs. Jaylen Warren

Still trying to decide between Pacheco and Warren? 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 11.0 points this week while Jaylen Warren is projected to score 15.4 points.