Who Should I Start? Isiah Pacheco or Jonathon Brooks

Friday, September 13, 4:58 PM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco will face the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season. Last week, Pacheco ran against one of the most formidable defenses in the league, the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens held Pacheco to just 45 rushing yards on 15 carries, but he did manage to find the endzone. The Chiefs starting running back will face an easier test this week against the Bengals, who allowed the seventh-most rushing yards in 2023. The Bengals also allowed the second-most runs of 20 or more yards in 2023. Pacheco had six runs of 20 or more yards in 2023, so he could be in for a few explosive plays in this week's contest. The 25-year-old dominated the backfield carries and was involved in the receiving game in Week 1, which should continue to be the case moving forward. Pacheco is attached to one of the best offenses in the NFL and should be considered a strong start every week he is active.

Sunday, September 1, 9:52 PM

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks (knee) will miss at least the first four games of the regular season after he was placed on the PUP list amidst his torn ACL recovery. This will delay Brooks' NFL debut, and he'll face an uphill battle to emerge as the Panthers' No. 1 running back once he's healthy. While Brooks is undoubtedly the Panthers' franchise running back, it could be difficult for him to win the job over Chuba Hubbard in the middle of the season while recovering from a serious injury and still acclimating to the NFL caliber of play. In other words, a Week 5 return wouldn't necessarily mean he'd warrant a spot in your Week 5 starting lineup. At the very least, fantasy managers should tamper expectations when Brooks gets healthy and be prepared to exercise patience as he gets adjusted to the NFL.