Fantasy Football Fallout of Isiah Pacheco's Leg Injury

The injury sliders in the NFL must have been turned all the way up ahead of Week 2 as -- unfortunately -- plenty of players suffered injuries over the weekend. One of the notable players in the fantasy football world to sustain an injury on Sunday was Isiah Pacheco of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Pacheco exited KC's narrow win over the Cincinnati Bengals after injuring his leg on a run out of the backfield. The third-year back has since been diagnosed with a fibula injury and is expected to be placed on injured reserve, which would force him to miss a minimum of four games.

While the full extent of Pacheco's injury has yet to be determined, the Chiefs will have to replace his production until he returns. Ahead of the Chiefs' Week 3 matchup versus the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football, let's discuss the fantasy football implications of Pacheco's injury, and whether or not Carson Steele, Samaje Perine, or Kareem Hunt can be trusted in his absence.

Isiah Pacheco Injury Implications

Before exiting Sunday's contest against the Bengals, Pacheco was getting most of the backfield work for the Chiefs. Pacheco handled 19 carries for Kansas City in Week 2, turning those attempts into 90 yards, and he caught all 5 of his targets for 21 yards.

Through the first two weeks of the new campaign, Pacheco was logging a 74.3% snap rate, 77.8% red zone snap rate, and 62.3% route rate, via NextGenStats. Additionally, Pacheco was averaging 25 adjusted opportunities and 94.5 scrimmage yards per game as he's become a valuable part of the Chiefs' lethal offense.

According to FantasyPros' consensus average draft position (ADP) in half-PPR scoring leagues, Pacheco held an overall ADP of 22.0 (RB11) in the offseason. Having a healthy workload in a Patrick Mahomes-led offense made Pacheco an intriguing player to target in the early rounds of drafts.

With Pacheco missing time, there are plenty of backfield touches to go around in Kansas City's offense moving forward. While the Chiefs could look to make a move at RB and sign a free agent if Pacheco is out an extended period, we may see Steele and Perine get increased workloads until Pacheco returns.

Carson Steele, Samaje Perine, and Kareem Hunt Fantasy Outlook

Whenever Pacheco left in Week 2, Steele got the bulk of the carries for the Chiefs. Steele finished Sunday's win with 7 rushing attempts for 24 yards while Perine had 0 carries and 1 reception for 3 yards.

As an undrafted rookie out of UCLA, Steele quickly rose up the depth chart for the Chiefs in the offseason and was forecasted to have a short-yardage and goal-line role alongside Pacheco. Despite Steele losing a fumble in Week 2, KC coach Andy Reid stuck with the first-year back, and Steele was the only back not named Pacheco to receive a rushing attempt on Sunday.

Assuming the Chiefs don't bring anyone else in, Steele may be -- at a minimum -- locked into short-yardage and goal-line situations in Pacheco's absence. Even though he's yet to catch a pass in his first two games in the NFL, Steele was a capable pass-catcher in college with 58 receptions, 486 receiving yards, and 4 receiving touchdowns across three seasons.

Meanwhile, Perine got the passing-down work among KC's RBs in Week 2, but it resulted in just one catch. That being said, the Chiefs could elect to lean more on Perine overall since he's a veteran and is more trusted in pass protection, which could limit Steele's usage.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire is on the non-football injury list for the Chiefs, so he isn't able to make his season debut until Week 5 versus the New Orleans Saints. In a backfield that could cause headaches amid Pacheco's recovery from injury, Steele and Perine figure to be very popular fantasy football waiver wire pickups in Week 3.

At the moment, I'd give the slight edge to Perine as he's handled an expanded workload before in the NFL and Steele is a rookie who has been inefficient with his carries and lost a fumble to begin his career. Even though it was during the 2022 season for the Bengals -- and could be irrelevant in this situation -- Perine filled in for an injured Joe Mixon for two games, and he produced 17.9 fantasy points per game in half-PPR formats in those contests.

The Chiefs have also reunited with Hunt by signing the veteran back to their practice squad in wake of Pacheco's injury. Hunt is undoubtedly familiar with Reid's offense having spent the first two years of his NFL career with the Chiefs, but this move appears to be nothing but insurance behind Steele and Perine -- at least for the time being.

Last year with the Cleveland Browns, Hunt produced career-worst marks in rushing yards per attempt (3.0) and yards per touch (3.3), and he's made just three starts in the last three seasons. Barring a complete collapse from Steele and Perine in Week 3, Hunt is the player in this backfield I'd prioritize the least on waivers this week.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.