Who Should I Start? Isiah Pacheco or Trey Benson

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.

Wednesday, October 1, 2:19 PM

Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson (knee) is expected to miss four-to-six weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his meniscus, another setback for a backfield already reeling from the season-ending loss of James Conner (foot). Benson had been working into a steady role with 29 carries for 160 yards and 13 receptions for 64 yards through four games, but his absence now opens the door for Emari Demercado to take on feature-back responsibilities. Demercado should be added in all fantasy formats as he projects to see the bulk of opportunities in both the running and passing game, especially with Arizona lacking proven depth behind him. While Benson showed flashes of efficiency early, his return timetable places him on injured reserve and makes him droppable unless you have an IR spot available.