Who Should I Start? Justice Hill or Isiah Pacheco

Friday, December 19, 3:00 PM

Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill (neck) has been progressing from the neck injury that landed him on Injured Reserve in late November, and could return as early as Week 17, according to head coach John Harbaugh. Hill sustained the injury during practice and has not played in a game since Week 12, but Harbaugh believes a return for the team's Week 17 matchup with the Packers is a real possibility. Used primarily as the team's passing back, Hill's absence has led to more opportunities for Keaton Mitchell and second-year back Rasheen Ali, though neither has seen enough work to enter the fantasy discussion. Derrick Henry, who somewhat quietly has amassed 1,000 rushing yards and double-digit touchdowns for the seventh time in his last eight seasons, remains an every-week start regardless of who is spelling him.

Wednesday, December 24, 4:00 PM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco has seemingly reclaimed his leadback role in the backfield, but it comes when the team turns to Chris Oladokun to be the starting quarterback. Pacheco rushed eight times for 34 yards, but the most surprising part of his stat line came in the receiving game. The 26-year-old was targeted a team-high seven times and caught six passes for 41 yards in last week's loss to the Tennessee Titans. The scoring opportunities will likely be few and far between for Pacheco, but once Oladokun stepped in as the starter, the running backs were targeted six times out of 16 attempts, and five of those went in Pacheco's direction. Pacheco will also have to deal with the Denver Broncos defense in Week 17. The Broncos have allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs and the second-fewest rushing yards per game this season. Pacheco is ranked RB37 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him an RB3/Flex option for the fantasy playoffs. It could be an ugly game for Pacheco, but he should get enough opportunities to be worth considering.