Who Should I Start? Isiah Pacheco or Troy Franklin

Tuesday, December 23, 9:20 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco took back over as the lead back for the Chiefs this week, stepping in ahead of veteran Kareem Hunt and taking eight carries for 34 yards while adding six catches for 41 yards in the team's loss to the Titans last week. Pacheco could be in for a heavy workload moving forward, since the team could phase out Hunt now that the playoffs are no longer a possibility. The team could take the next two weeks to evaluate Pacheco and rookie Brashard Smith for their future roles, but Pacheco is in a brutal matchup this week against the Broncos, who have been elite against the run. Pacheco does have touchdown-dependent upside and should get a good workload, but he's still a long-shot flex play to add off the waiver wire this week due to the matchup.

Monday, December 22, 12:24 PM

Denver Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin gets a bump in snap share during the 34-20 loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16. Ending the day with five targets for four catches and 66 yards with zero touchdowns, the most notable piece is that Franklin found himself on the field for 64% of the Broncos' offensive snaps. After seeing snap percentages of 53%, 26%, and 50% in each of the three games since the Week 12 bye, this is an encouraging sign that he could be more involved for the rest of the season. Rookie wide receiver Pat Bryant suffered a concussion in the final minutes of this game and likely won't be available for the Week 17 Thursday Night Football matchup with the Chiefs, potentially projecting more opportunities for Franklin in that game.