The Chiefs play at Cleveland in Week 15, which will be the third game back for Isiah Pacheco after missing nine games with a broken leg. Is now the time to trust him as a starting Fantasy running back?
I'm hesitant to go all-in with Pacheco, so let's call him a borderline No. 2 running back or flex option in the majority of leagues. His workload in Week 14 against the Chargers was encouraging but not enough to call him a must-start running back yet.
He had 14 carries for 55 yards and two catches for 6 yards on four targets. By comparison, Kareem Hunt had five carries for 16 yards and one catch for 13 yards on one target.
It's clear the Chiefs want Pacheco to be the main running back, which is awesome, but that still has to translate to Fantasy production if we're going to start him, especially in the Fantasy playoffs. It could come down to Pacheco scoring a touchdown against the Browns to boost his value.
Cleveland has allowed nine rushing touchdowns in the past five games, and three running backs have scored touchdowns against the Browns in the past two weeks against Denver and Pittsburgh. That's a good sign for Pacheco.
What isn't good is a Kansas City running back hasn't scored a touchdown in the past five games. I'm hopeful the streak ends in Week 15, and that Pacheco falls into the end zone.
Now, it could be Hunt getting the touchdown, especially in a revenge game. But based on Week 14, the Chiefs want Pacheco to be Pacheco again, and Fantasy managers who start him as a low-end No. 2 running back or flex will hopefully benefit if he has a big game against the Browns.
Fantasy Football Today Newsletter
Know What Your Friends Don't
Get tips, advice and news to win your league - all from the FFT podcast team.
By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge Paramount's Privacy Policy.
Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe.
Thanks for signing up!
Keep an eye on your inbox.
Sorry!
There was an error processing your subscription.
RBs to Start
Projections powered by
Sportsline
We don't know if Kenneth Walker III (calf) will play in Week 15 against Green Bay after he missed Week 14 at Arizona. With Walker out against the Cardinals, Charbonnet was a star with 38.3 PPR points, and he had 29 total touches (seven catches) for 193 total yards and two touchdowns. In three games without Walker this season, Charbonnet has scored at least 17.9 PPR points in each outing. The Packers have allowed five running backs to score at least 13.0 PPR points in their past five games, and I like Charbonnet as a top-10 Fantasy running back in all leagues.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Hubbard had another standout game in Week 14 at Philadelphia with 20.7 PPR points, and the Panthers lost Jonathon Brooks (ACL) for the season against the Eagles. Hubbard will once again dominate touches heading into Week 15 at Dallas, and he has scored at least 15.0 PPR points in four of his past five games. The Cowboys have allowed three running backs to score at least 14.5 PPR points in their past four games, and I like Hubbard as a top-10 Fantasy running back in all leagues.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Pollard had another solid outing in Week 14 against Jacksonville with 21 carries for 102 yards and two catches for 22 yards on two targets, and he's now scored at least 14.4 PPR points in all nine games where he got at least 19 total touches. He should have another big workload against the Bengals, who have allowed a running back to score at least 14.1 PPR points in four games in a row. And in the past two games without linebacker Logan Wilson (knee), Najee Harris and Rico Dowdle have combined for 40 PPR points.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Bucky Irving (back) couldn't finish Week 14 against Las Vegas, and White had a dominant outing with 17 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown and two catches for 19 yards and a touchdown on three targets. We don't know if Irving will play in Week 15 at the Chargers, but if he's out then White has top-10 upside in all leagues. And if Irving plays then White should be considered at least a flex option since he scored at least 11.7 PPR points in five of his past six games prior to Week 14. Four running backs in the past four games have scored at least 14.0 PPR points against the Chargers, which bodes well for White to have another quality outing in Week 15.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Finally, Dowdle is looking like a featured running back with three games in a row with at least 19 total touches, and he has at least 98 total yards in each outing against Washington, the Giants and Cincinnati. In his past two games, Dowdle has scored at least 15.1 PPR points in each contest, which includes consecutive games of at least 112 rushing yards. The Panthers are No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and four running backs in their past five games have rushed for at least 103 yards. Those same four running backs (Alvin Kamara, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Bucky Irving and Saquon Barkley) also scored at least 12.4 PPR points in each game.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Sleepers (Start/Sit)
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Taylor is either going to start for the 49ers on Thursday night or play a prominent role in tandem with an injured Isaac Guerendo (knee). If Taylor starts then he's a high-end flex option in all leagues, and he came on for Guerendo in Week 14 against Chicago and had seven carries for 25 yards and a touchdown and one catch for no yards on one target. The Rams have allowed a running back to score at least 12.9 PPR points in four games in a row, including Saquon Barkley and Alvin Kamara each rushing for at least 112 yards over that span.
|
Warren is worth using as a flex option in Week 15 at Philadelphia since he has scored at least 9.2 PPR points in five games in a row. The Eagles run defense is tough, but five running backs in the past four games have scored at least 13.2 PPR points. And in the past five weeks, Philadelphia is No. 6 in most receptions allowed to running backs with 24, and four running backs over that span have at least 5.5 PPR points against the Eagles with just their receiving totals alone.
|
If Breece Hall (knee) is out again in Week 15 at Jacksonville then Allen and Isaiah Davis will continue to share touches. And both will be worth using as flex options. It's a great matchup since the Jaguars are No. 2 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and in the past five games, six running backs have scored at least 12.1 PPR points against Jacksonville. In Week 14 with Hall out at Miami, Allen had 11 carries for 43 yards and four catches for 38 yards on five targets, and Davis finished with 10 carries for 40 yards and a touchdown and had three catches for 27 yards on three targets. Both should have the chance to be productive again if Hall remains out.
|
McCormick has run well in the past two games for the Raiders against the Chiefs and Buccaneers, and Las Vegas just placed Zamir White (quadriceps) on injured reserve prior to Week 15 against Atlanta. We'll see if Alexander Mattison (ankle) can return against the Falcons after missing the past three games, but McCormick should stay in the lead role. In his past two outings he has 27 carries for 142 yards and four catches for 12 yards on five targets. The Falcons are No. 8 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, but three guys in the past four games have scored at least 15.9 PPR points against Atlanta. I like McCormick has a high-end flex in all leagues.
|
It's risky to trust a Broncos running back because on any given week we could see McLaughlin, Javonte Williams or Audric Estime lead the team in carries. But in Denver's last game in Week 13 against Cleveland, McLaughlin looked great with 14 carries for 84 yards and one catch for no yards on two targets. If he gets that amount of work again in Week 15 against Indianapolis then McLaughlin will be a solid flex option in all leagues. The Colts are No. 4 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and five running backs in the past three games against Indianapolis have scored at least 12.2 PPR points.
|
RBs to Sit
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Swift already faced Minnesota in Week 12 and struggled with 13 carries for 30 yards and three catches for 35 yards on four targets. He hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 11, and he's been held to 9.5 PPR points or less in three games in a row against the Vikings, Lions and 49ers. Minnesota is No. 4 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and Swift is only worth using as a flex option in most leagues for Week 15.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Etienne scored 11.0 PPR points in Week 14 at Tennessee, which was the first time he scored more than 8.8 PPR points since Week 5. He had a season-high 50 receiving yards against the Titans, but his four carries were the fewest since Week 9. I would rather start Tank Bigsby if considering a Jaguars running back since he had 19 total touches against the Titans. But both Jaguars running backs are flex options at best against the Jets, who are No. 10 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs.
| ||||||||||||||||||
It's hard to score a touchdown and still not reach 10 PPR points, but Edwards has managed to do it twice in the past three games. He's yet to reach double digits in PPR this season, and I hope the Chargers start giving Kimani Vidal more work moving forward. This isn't a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers, but running backs who do well against them typically come from the passing game. Edwards only has two catches for 3 yards on three targets this season. I would only use Edwards as a flex option at best in non-PPR leagues.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Chubb has played fewer snaps than Jerome Ford in three of the past four games, and Chubb has proven to be touchdown dependent to help his Fantasy value. He's averaging just 3.1 yards per carry since returning from his knee injury in Week 7, and the only time he's topped 5.2 PPR points were the three games where he scored a touchdown. The Chiefs are No. 1 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and they have allowed just seven total touchdowns to the position all season. Chubb is a flex option at best in non-PPR leagues.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Tracy is having an outstanding rookie season, especially with the Giants being such a bad team, and he has scored at least 14.5 PPR points in three games in a row heading into Week 15 against Baltimore. But this is a bad spot for Tracy, and I would consider him a flex option at best in the majority of leagues. The Ravens are No. 9 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and only Saquon Barkley in Week 13 had more than 63 rushing yards against Baltimore this season. Now, the Ravens are among the league leaders in receptions allowed to running backs with 65, and Tracy just had five catches for 38 yards on 10 targets against the Saints in Week 16. But the Giants are 14.5 underdogs at home, and the Ravens should be able to contain Tracy in this matchup. I'm not expecting Tracy to be a league-winning Fantasy option in Week 15.
| ||||||||||||||||||
