Who Should I Start? Isiah Pacheco or Kenneth Walker III

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.

Friday, October 3, 7:51 PM

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III will look to continue his efficient running in Week 5. Walker will have a tough task ahead of him as the Seahawks will host a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team allowing less than three yards per carry to opposing running backs. Additionally, the Seahawks are deploying a running back committee with Walker and Zach Charbonnet. Both players are taking opportunities from the other. Walker's saving grace is his pass-catching and big-play ability. He is not receiving goal line opportunities, which suggests that he will need to score between the 20s. You may feel compelled to start Walker in Week 5, but he is not a smash play by any means. However, he provides a decent fantasy floor this week and can be deployed as a low-end RB2.