Who Should I Start? Josh Jacobs or Isiah Pacheco

Monday, February 2, 5:41 PM

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs had 13 rushing touchdowns in 15 regular-season starts, but a knee injury he suffered in Week 11 against the New York Giants hampered him the rest of the way and made him a disappointment when fantasy managers needed him the most. The 27-year-old had 929 rushing yards on 234 carries and added 36 catches for 282 yards and another score on 44 targets. Jacobs didn't have a single 100-yard rushing performance and finished under 1,000 yards for only the third time in his seven-year NFL career. The three-time Pro Bowler was the RB12 in half-PPR scoring, and his 234 carries ranked 16th among all RBs. Jacobs has double-digit rushing touchdowns in four of his seven seasons and will be Green Bay's RB1 again in 2026. The volume should be there if he's healthy, but fantasy managers should target Jacobs as more of an RB2 than an RB1.

Thursday, February 5, 11:28 AM

After an injury-marred campaign in 2024, Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco entered 2025 in need of a bounce-back effort. Unfortunately, the 26-year-old struggled with inefficiency, recording 563 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 137 touches across 13 games played. Pacheco averaged just 3.9 yards per carry, his second-straight season under four yards per rush attempt after averaging 4.7 yards per carry over the first two years of his career. Pacheco spent most of the 2025 season splitting backfield work with veteran Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt, with Hunt dominating touches in short-yardage situations and around the goal line. Pacheco is now set to hit unrestricted free agency, so he's not guaranteed to be back in Kansas City. Based on his performance over the last two seasons, it's not hard to imagine a scenario where Pacheco finds himself in a committee backfield or even a straight RB2 role for the 2026 season. In dynasty formats, Pacheco's future fantasy value profiles as uncertain at best coming off his shaky 2025 campaign.