Who Should I Start? Javonte Williams or Isiah Pacheco

Monday, February 2, 8:42 AM

Dallas Cowboys club officials have held preliminary contract-extension talks with pending free-agent running back Javonte Williams, but talks are on hold until Williams finalizes hiring an agent, according to The Dallas Morning News' Calvin Watkins. The Cowboys have already made it clear that re-signing Williams will be a top priority this offseason after he had a career year in his first season in Dallas in 2025. After four seasons with the Denver Broncos, Williams set career highs across the board with the Cowboys, carrying the ball 252 times for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns in 16 starts. He added 35 receptions on 51 targets for 137 yards and two more scores. Williams finished as the RB11 in half-PPR scoring as Dallas' unquestioned lead back all year long. He finished the year on Injured Reserve due to a shoulder injury, but Williams should be fully healthy by the start of the 2026 campaign. If he returns to Dallas, which is expected, the 25-year-old will be a low-end RB1/high-end RB2 target in fantasy.

Friday, February 20, 10:44 AM

The Athletic's Jesse Newell writes that Kansas City Chiefs impending free-agent running back Isiah Pacheco is "likely to sign elsewhere" in free agency this offseason. Pacheco did not show his pre-injury burst out of the backfield in 2025, averaging 3.9 yards per carry while rushing for 462 yards and just one touchdown on 118 rushing attempts in 13 games played. He ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL scouting combine, but he hasn't shown that same speed after a productive first two seasons in the NFL. In addition to his declining speed, he hasn't established himself as a receiving threat out of the backfield, with his 44-catch season in 2023 looking like an outlier. On top of injuries the last two seasons, Pacheco's fantasy stock is down as he enters free agency. Pacheco's 2026 fantasy value will depend on where he's playing, but most likely, he'll be involved in some sort of timeshare after struggling the last two seasons.