Road to RB1: Isiah Pacheco

To back up a promising rookie outing, Isiah Pacheco took firm control of the Kansas City backfield in his second year. As a result, the energizer finished as the RB17 in standard fantasy leagues, a substantial improvement from the year before.

Despite missing three games to injury in 2023, Pacheco finished the season with a career-high 205 carries, 935 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. His receiving usage also took a slight uptick, posting 44 receptions for 244 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Even with a Super Bowl victory in February, the Chiefs made a significant effort in the offseason to improve their offense. The team will return four key starters from their potent offensive line while concentrating most of their resources on bolstering the receiving room. Following a year with most of the criticism being on a lack of reliable receivers, Kansas City added Marquise Brown in free agency and drafted rookie Xavier Worthy.

The two key additions at receiver should not affect Pacheco very much with the Chiefs already being a pass-heavy offense. The biggest offseason note for the running back was the team's decision not to extend Jerick McKinnon, who took the most snaps away from Pacheco on third down.

Now entering his third season, Pacheco is the clear-cut top running back in Kansas City alongside Patrick Mahomes in the backfield in a role that has historically proven valuable in fantasy. The speedster currently has an ADP of 33, suggesting many managers have high hopes for a third-year breakout.

How Isiah Pacheco can become the fantasy RB1

Pacheco has yet to notch a 1,000-yard season through his first two years but for the first time in his career, the Chiefs front office is fully behind him as their franchise back. Former first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire remains on the roster as the backup but received just one carry in Super Bowl LVIII to Pacheco's 18.

The Rutgers graduate needs to improve his overall output to enter the RB1 conversation after an RB2-level finish in 2023 but a three-down back role is now on the table for him to lose with McKinnon out of the picture. As the season wore on, Pacheco's snap count grew as he remained on the field for more pass-catching duties, a positive sign for his fantasy outlook.

Pacheco caught just 44 passes on the year but a whopping 43 percent of them came in his final four games of the regular season. In the playoffs, the 25-year-old dominated the backfield snaps with Edwards-Helaire and McKinnon combining for just 17 touches through the four games.

Behind an offensive line as good as Kansas City's and the passing game threat of Patrick Mahomes, developing a firm grip on a three-down role has been the key to unlocking Pacheco's fantasy potential in his career. When he played more than 60 percent of the snaps in 2023, he averaged 15.57 fantasy points in standard leagues and 19.14 points in PPR leagues. Both numbers are significant increases from his season-long averages of 12.1 and 15.3 points, respectively.

With the expected increased workload, injuries could be a slight issue, given that he missed three games in 2023 after playing all 17 in his rookie season. However, Pacheco has a proven track record of durability, missing just a combined three games in four years at Rutgers.

It is unreasonable to expect Pacheco to transform into Christian McCaffrey or Austin Ekeler as a receiver but with Edwards-Helaire offering next to nothing as a receiver, the usage is almost guaranteed to be there. Even if he does not finish as the top overall fantasy running back, expect Pacheco to be a confident weekly start as a matchup-based RB1 in 2024.