Who Should I Start? Isiah Pacheco or Kyren Williams

Saturday, January 25, 4:25 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco has been a shell of his former self since returning from injury. Even when given the opportunity to start last week's contest, Pacheco remained inefficient and ceded work to veteran Kareem Hunt. The 25-year-old handled five carries for 18 yards against the Texans, compared to eight carries, 44 yards, and a touchdown for Hunt. Given the importance of the matchup and Pacheco's struggles, the Chiefs likely lean on Hunt as their workhorse back in the AFC Championship game this Sunday. Kansas City will face the potent Buffalo Bills in Arrowhead to determine who will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. With the Chiefs searching for a historic three-peat, the stakes are too high to rely on Pacheco. The second-year back should not be viewed as a start-worthy asset in fantasy playoff leagues and should be considered a dart-throw option in DFS leagues.

Friday, January 24, 6:08 PM

Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead indicated that the team might be open to working out a long-term contract extension with running back Kyren Williams this offseason after he had another strong year in 2024. Williams accounted for almost 81% of the Rams' rushing attempts out of the backfield this year and ran the ball 316 times for a career-high 1,299 yards and a career-high 14 rushing touchdowns while adding a career-high 34 catches (40 targets) for another 182 yards and two scores through the air in 16 regular-season games. He'll be heading into the final year of his rookie deal in 2025, which makes him eligible for a contract extension this offseason. The 24-year-old has gone for 1,000 rushing yards in each of the last two years and is the first Rams RB since Todd Gurley to score 14 rushing TDs in a single season. Williams will be a strong RB1 choice for fantasy managers in 2025.