Who Should I Start? Kenneth Gainwell or Isiah Pacheco

Wednesday, December 17, 10:01 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell had a monster game in Week 15, as he totaled 126 all-purpose yards (80 on the ground, 46 through the air), played 52 percent of the snaps, and was much more efficient as a runner than backfield mate Jaylen Warren. That being said, Warren was playing with an illness leading up to the game; however, this has been trending towards an actual backfield split for about six to seven weeks now. Additionally, in PPR formats, Gainwell is seeing all of the running back receiving work; he has 31 receptions over the past five weeks (6.2 receptions per game). At the same time, Warren is seeing two, maybe three targets per game during that same stretch. On the season, Warren is RB19 while Gainwell is RB23. Given the Steelers' Week 16 matchup with the Detroit Lions, who are stout against the run (allowing the third fewest points to the running back position), it appears likely the Steelers might be in a shootout or from behind, meaning it's setting up to be a game where Gainwell sees a ton of volume in the receiving game, giving him low-end RB2/flex value in Week 16.

Friday, December 19, 8:52 PM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco played his highest snap count since returning from injury in Week 15. He led the Chiefs in carries last week but was inefficient, totaling just 21 yards on 11 carries. With quarterback Patrick Mahomes done for the season with a torn ACL, the Chiefs' offense could struggle, making it even more difficult for Pacheco to be a consistent fantasy starter. The Chiefs rank 15th in scoring offense with the two-time MVP as their quarterback. Now, they switch to Gardner Minshew, which is a clear downgrade from Mahomes. While an easy matchup against the Tennessee Titans could catapult Pacheco to FLEX territory, he's still tough to trust with Kareem Hunt in the picture and the Chiefs' offense likely to regress.