Who Should I Start? Kenneth Gainwell or Isiah Pacheco

Friday, December 12, 10:06 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell has remained a steady, consistent piece of this Steelers offense for a majority of the season, but even more so over the past month and a half. Since Week 10, this Steelers backfield has become an actual split between Gainwell and Jaylen Warren. For most of the first half of the season, it had appeared Warren was gaining steam and control of the backfield, but a handful of injuries to Warren opened up the door for Gainwell, and he took advantage of his opportunities and has earned more playing time. Since Week 10, Gainwell has rushed for 151 yards on 28 carries (5.39 YPC), has 23 receptions for 167 receiving yards, and is averaging 14.6 fantasy points per game. He is consistently getting more involved than Warren in the receiving game, and moving forward, can be viewed as an RB3/flex option. In Week 15, the Steelers take on the Miami Dolphins, who rank middle-of-the-pack in points allowed against opposing running backs.

Friday, December 12, 4:18 PM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco handled nine carries for 30 yards in last week's 10-20 loss to the Houston Texans. In his second game back from injury, Pacheco's opportunities ticked up closer to Kareem Hunt, who handled 12 carries in the contest. Pacheco looked like the best back in the backfield before his knee injury, so the team may prefer to lean on him more as he gets healthier. Pacheco will have a chance to surpass Hunt this week against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers defense has been middle-of-the-pack in fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs this season, meaning that it should not be a difficult matchup for Pacheco. That said, splitting carries with Hunt in a divisional matchup could be a difficult situation to succeed in. Pacheco is ranked RB48 in our RotoBaller Half-PPR rankings, making him a difficult player to trust until he shows more upside.