Who Should I Start? Ty Johnson or Isiah Pacheco

BENCH

Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
4.9 13.2 0.1 1.2 11.9 0.1

Ty Johnson News

Ty Johnson Offers Little Fantasy Value in His Change-of-Pace Role

Sunday, July 26, 6:38 AM

Even as his teammate James Cook III has developed into one of the league's true bell cow runners, veteran running back Ty Johnson has maintained an important change-of-pace role, seeing at least 40 carries and 25 targets in each of the past two seasons. While Cook's spot atop the depth chart makes it difficult for any other Buffalo running back to accumulate stats, Johnson's comfort in the passing game could lead to limited fantasy viability should an injury force him into a larger role in 2026. That said, in such a scenario, it would likely be third-year back Ray Davis serving as more of a direct handcuff to Cook, making the soon-to-be-29-year-old Johnson difficult to trust even with a clearing ahead of him. With a lack of standalone value and no obvious path to a substantially increased workload, Johnson is not a player that fantasy drafters will need to consider in 2026.

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Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.		 Rush.
Yds.		 Rush
TD		 Rec. Rec.
Yds.		 Rec
TD
6.3 31.2 0.2 0.9 6.4 0.0

Isiah Pacheco News

Isiah Pacheco and Sione Vaki Splitting First Team Reps in Gibbs' Absence

Friday, July 31, 6:01 AM

With an unexpected absence at the top of the depth chart, Detroit Lions running backs Isiah Pacheco and Sione Vaki have been splitting first-team reps in the early days of training camp. Three-time Pro Bowler Jahmyr Gibbs has not been practicing as he seeks a long-term contract extension, and head coach Dan Campbell is taking advantage of an opportunity to load his other backs up with valuable work. Pacheco signed a one-year deal this offseason and is expected to handle parts of the vacated David Montgomery role, while Vaki enters his third season with the team after Detroit spent a fourth-round pick on him following a collegiate career in which he played predominantly on the defensive side of the ball. While Campbell has expressed confidence that an extension with Gibbs will get done, he is not overlooking the situation in front of him and is using it to prepare both players for any unexpected call to action over the course of a long 17-game season.

Ty Johnson vs. Isiah Pacheco

Still trying to decide between Johnson and Pacheco? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Ty Johnson is projected to score 4.9 points this week while Isiah Pacheco is projected to score 6.3 points.