Who Should I Start? Isiah Pacheco or Quinshon Judkins

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.

Sunday, September 28, 10:42 PM

Cleveland Browns rookie second-round running back Quinshon Judkins was one of the team's lone bright spots on Sunday in the 34-10 blowout loss to the hosting Detroit Lions in Week 4. Judkins dominated backfield work with a season-high 21 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown. He caught all four of his targets for an additional 33 yards in the passing game. The 21-year-old Ohio State product has now found the end zone in back-to-back weeks and is the clear lead back in Cleveland despite not making his NFL debut until Week 2. Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco was second on the team behind Judkins with only three carries. Judkins has seen more work each week out of the Browns' backfield, and even though Cleveland's lack of efficiency on offense limits his overall fantasy upside, the expected volume makes him a must-start. He will look to score for a third straight game in London in a Week 5 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.