Isaiah Pacheco has gotten better each of his first two years in the league, and he is expected to be a big target for fantasy football players. As a threat in the running and passing game, Pacheco is making a name for himself to be one of best running backs in the game. What should you expect from Pacheco in his third season?
2024 Fantasy Football Profile: Isaiah Pacheco
2023 in Review
The Kansas City Chiefs know they have a star in Pacheco. Andy Reid’s offense fed him the ball 35 more times in 2023, and he turned it into 105 more yards. Had Pacheco not missed two games due to injury, he would’ve easily cleared the 1,000-yard mark.
It’s tough to stand out in the Chiefs offense when Patrick Mahomes is there, but Pacheco finds a way to stay in the spotlight. He’s a two-way running back that impacted the passing game more in 2023 than this rookie year. Pacheco caught 44 passes for 244 yards last year out of the backfield. That might not seem impressive, but it is when you see he had 49 targets and realize only five passes fell incomplete in his direction.
Beautiful Power run from the #Chiefs starters
Trey & Creed's down blocks blown open the lane, then Pacheco reads the leverage of Jawaan at the 2nd level perfectly for a 16-yard gash pic.twitter.com/SxyYJL3Erv
— Ron Kopp Jr. (@Ron_Kopp) August 11, 2024
2024 Projection
It seems like every time we blink, Mahomes has a new toy in his offense. This year, he has two of them in Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy. These two will make the offense more dynamic and in turn help Pacheco. Every defense in the league will focus on stopping Mahomes and the pass game; they will dare the Chiefs to run the ball.
However, daring the Chiefs to run the ball with Pacheco is like poking a wasp’s nest with a stick. You might think it’s working to stop them from attacking you until it’s too late. Pacheco didn’t have more than 20 carries in a game last year, but he has the potential to run the ball 30-40 times per game if needed.
As long as he stays healthy, there will be no doubt as to whether or not Pacheco reaches 1,000 rushing yards in 2024. Expect him to post double digit numbers for rushing touchdowns as well.
Isaiah Pacheco Fantasy Football ADP
FantasyPros currently lists Pacheco’s ADP as 25 with a range of 13-48. His current position now seems him going early-to-mid third round based on whether it’s 10 or 12 teams in your league. That’s a solid spot for Pacheco, and it’s unlikely to go up or down too much heading into the regular season.
Pacheco is also listed by FantasyPros as the 11th-best running to have in standard and PPR leagues. He’s right behind guys like De’Von Achane and Travis Etienne. That makes his ADP stick at 25, and taking him later than is where it starts to quickly become a steal. His ADP is well worth the production you’ll get.
This is a guy who will easily finish as an RB1 in 2024. His involvement in the passing game will continue to grow making him even harder to stop. Let people keep sleeping on Pacheco because this is a player you should target as early as the middle of Round 2.
Main Photo Courtesy of Matt Kartozian – USA Today Sports
