Who Should I Start? Isiah Pacheco or Jonathon Brooks

Wednesday, September 18, 2:22 PM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (leg) was officially been placed on Injured Reserve on Wednesday. The third-year back out of Rutgers suffered a fractured fibula that requires surgery, and he will miss at least the next four games. However, his timeline was originally set at a six-to-eight-week absence, but now it sounds like Kansas City doesn't know if he will play again this season. "I can't give you a timetable for his return," head coach Andy Reid said. "We'll just see whether it's this season or next season." Needless to say, this is a rough development for Pacheco and his fantasy managers, and this is a "wait and see" situation. In his absence, rookie Carson Steele and veteran Samaje Perine are expected to split touches. Kareem Hunt, who just signed to the practice squad, is likely to take a few weeks to get in shape and start contributing.

Friday, October 18, 1:10 PM

Carolina Panthers rookie running back Jonathon Brooks (knee) was limited in Friday's practice but has been ruled out and won't make his NFL debut this weekend versus the Washington Commanders. Brooks made his return to practice for the first time this year on Wednesday while recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered last November while playing in college at Texas, so the 21-year-old wasn't realistically expected to play in Week 7. However, the 46th overall pick in this year's draft (the first RB off the board), could become a big part of Carolina's backfield alongside Chuba Hubbard later this year once he gets up to speed. Brooks will need to make more progress in practice next week to have a shot to make his debut for the Panthers in Week 8 against the Denver Broncos. He's worth stashing in all fantasy leagues.