Who Should I Start? Javonte Williams or Isiah Pacheco

Monday, October 20, 12:17 AM

Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams had his second 100-yard rushing performance of the season in the Week 7 victory over the visiting Washington Commanders on Sunday. In the 44-22 win, Williams was dominant on the ground, going for 116 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries (6.1 yards per carry). It was the 25-year-old's second game in 2025 with over 100 rushing yards, and it was a nice bounce-back effort after he had a season-low 29 ground yards on 13 carries in last week's loss to the Carolina Panthers. He added just one catch on four targets for a gain of two yards. Williams showed his bruising style of play and was able to pick up chunk gains out of the backfield against a weak Commanders defense on Sunday. He is averaging over 5.0 yards per tote in his first year in Dallas and is well on his way to a breakout in his fifth NFL season in Dallas' high-scoring offense. Williams has become a must-start RB2 in fantasy, but it could be tough sledding against his old team, the Denver Broncos, in a Week 8 showdown.

Wednesday, October 22, 11:37 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco has had an underwhelming season so far in 2025, recording 314 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns on 77 total touches through his first seven games. However, there may be reason to believe that the 26-year-old is trending upwards. Pacheco has at least 12 carries and 51 rushing yards in each of his last two games. Additionally, the Chiefs' offense is getting healthier and has averaged 31.5 points per game over the last four weeks, which means Pacheco should see more red zone opportunities going forward. Kansas City will likely continue to split backfield work between Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, and Brashard Smith, which limits Pacheco's upside. Still, Pacheco has been stealing early-down work away from Hunt in recent weeks and has a higher upside in both real life and fantasy. Pacheco could be a good buy-low candidate for fantasy managers and profiles as a low-end RB2 heading into a Week 8 matchup against the Washington Commanders.