Kansas City’s backfield structure finally shifted in a meaningful way last week. Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt now enter Week 17 with very different roles and expectations. Which Chiefs running back deserves fantasy football consideration in what has become a lost season for this offense?
Isiah Pacheco’s Fantasy Outlook
The Kansas City Chiefs made a clear shift in their backfield usage last week. Pacheco played 73% of the snaps, his second-highest mark of the season after not eclipsing 50% in any game since returning from injury in Week 13. He handled 15 total opportunities, a volume level he had previously reached just twice all year.
The most notable development was Pacheco’s passing-game role, as he saw seven targets and caught six passes for 41 yards.
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That combination of snap share, volume, and receiving usage strongly suggests the Chiefs want to give Pacheco extended run over their final three meaningless games. They need to determine whether he can realistically lead the backfield next season or if they must bring in additional competition.
From a fantasy perspective, that organizational intent matters because it increases the likelihood that last week’s usage pattern repeats rather than being a one-off anomaly. Pacheco is now positioned as the clear lead back, not just another member of a committee.
Kareem Hunt’s Fantasy Outlook
Hunt has been the better fantasy back for most of the season, largely due to his role as the goal line option in a Mahomes-led offense. That context changed completely last week. He played a season-low 11 snaps, indicating a massive demotion in the backfield hierarchy. On those limited snaps, he carried the ball three times for just two yards and did not offset the lack of rushing production with any receiving work.
That type of usage is a major red flag this late in the year. In December, when teams are out of contention, usage changes tend to reflect deliberate evaluation plans rather than temporary game-plan quirks.
The Chiefs clearly chose to shift their focus toward Pacheco, and Hunt’s snap and touch counts fell off a cliff as a result. His fantasy relevance was always fragile because it depended on touchdowns more than stable volume, and now even that goal-line access appears to be gone.
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Without snaps, carries, or a defined role inside the red zone, Hunt has no realistic path to reliable fantasy production. The profile has gone from “touchdown-dependent RB2/Flex attached to an elite offense” to “bench-only backup in a stripped-down, evaluation-mode attack.” Nothing about last week’s deployment suggests this will bounce back in a way fantasy managers can actually count on in Week 17.
Should You Start Hunt or Pacheco This Week?
If you are going to start one of these backs, it clearly has to be Pacheco. He now owns the majority of the snaps, the most meaningful share of the touches, and the expanded passing-game role that provides a safer floor. Hunt, by contrast, saw his role evaporate last week and no longer has the goal-line security that previously propped up his fantasy value.
However, it is important to understand what you are getting if you start Pacheco. The Chiefs were blown out 26–9 by the Titans and failed to score a touchdown. They are now leaning into a lost season with a third-string quarterback.
The workload should be there, and his increased receiving involvement gives him a path to grinding out around 10 fantasy points even if the offense struggles. However, without the usual Chiefs scoring equity behind him, expecting a true impact ceiling would be overly optimistic. Nevertheless, he is the only back in this backfield fantasy managers can justify starting.
In a season where the team has nothing left to play for, the overall environment is far less attractive than what fantasy managers are used to from this offense.
Hunt should be completely off the radar for fantasy lineups. In the must-win week for fantasy managers chasing championships, starting a running back coming off a season-low snap share and minimal usage in an offense that is no longer functioning at a high level is an unnecessary risk.
