Who Should I Start? Isiah Pacheco or Kenneth Walker III

Monday, February 12, 1:16 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (ankle/toe) couldn't get much going in Super Bowl LVIII, but his team still topped the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 to come away with their third championship in the past four years. Pacheco carried the ball 18 times for 59 yards and added six receptions for 33 yards, but it was a rough evening all around for the 2022 seventh-rounder. Pacheco lost a fumble with the Chiefs in a goal-to-go to stall a potential scoring drive in the second quarter and nearly coughed it up again on a failed handoff to open the second half. It was a disappointing outcome in the box score, considering the Niners had gotten trampled on the ground during the postseason. The 24-year-old dealt with some tough injury luck down the stretch of the campaign, but Pacheco solidified himself as a fully capable workhorse in 2023 and will enter 2024 as an early-round fantasy pick with top-12 positional expectations in all likelihood.

Monday, January 8, 4:43 AM

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III took 17 carries for 78 yards in Week 18. He also caught his only target for three yards in the win over the Arizona Cardinals. Ten of Walker's attempts were for three yards or less but his stat line was bailed out with four rushes that resulted in gains of at least 11 yards. Coming into the season his status as the starter was threatened after the Seahawks drafted Zach Charbonnet in the second round of the 2023 draft. Injuries aside, Walker held onto his role all year but Charbonnet's efficiency makes depth chart projections murky for 2024. Playing in 15 games in 2023, Walker had 219 carries for 905 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He also had 29 catches for 259 yards and one receiving touchdown.