Everyone goes about building out a handcuff RB profile differently, but you’ll notice from my rankings that I love proof of concept.
Should You Draft Isiah Pacheco in Fantasy Football?
Isiah Pacheco is the Mr. Angry Runner himself, a 2023 Super Bowl run hero.
As of early September, Pacheco has an ADP of 153.4. His PFN rank is roughly 150. He’s RB46 at his position with projected points per game in 2026 of 7.5. He’s the clear RB2 behind Jahmyr Gibbs in the Lions offense. Gibbs will dominate the volume, in my opinion, but Pacheco is also a clear RB2 over the other options that the Lions have, with Sione Vaki the next one on the list.
The Lions signed Pacheco to replace David Montgomery, who was traded to the Houston Texans. But Pacheco hasn’t been the same since his fractured fibula in 2024. At this stage of Pacheco’s career, I don’t think he’s nearly the usage threat that Montgomery was to Jahmyr Gibbs.
In 2023, Pacheco had his best career finish at RB15 and a mid-level RB2 in fantasy outlooks, but that finish is looking more and more like a unicorn in Pacheco’s career outlook the longer he plays the game. Back to back in 2024 and 2025, he had fantasy finishes outside the top 50 at the RB position, with only 1 rushing TD in each year and very poor receiving production as well.
This summer, Pacheco has been dealing with an injury and has been unavailable as a result. The Lions’ recent hosting of other veteran running backs like Kareem Hunt does not send a strong signal for their confidence in Pacheco’s availability, let alone his actual ability at this stage.
In my opinion, if you draft Pacheco, you’re drafting him as a low-upside handcuff to Gibbs, with potential red-zone appeal with his physical style, or on the off chance that Gibbs misses time and Pacheco gets thrust into a volume role. Either way, he has relatively little upside in any outcome where Gibbs remains available. Even in a volume role, if Gibbs is left unavailable, it’s possible that Pacheco’s efficiency underwhelms like it has in recent opportunities.
The offense is well structured. The offensive line is solid. But it’s Pacheco himself who invites most of the questions. Gibbs has been incredibly durable across his career. Unfortunately, if he were to ever go down, it’s not even a guarantee that the Lions wouldn’t look elsewhere for solutions past Pacheco at this rate. He was signed as a low-cost veteran, but already it seems like that signing is souring before we’ve even played regular-season football.
My opinion: fade Pacheco, unless the value falls to an acceptable level. We’re talking the last two rounds of the draft. Outside the top 12 rounds, there are younger, fresher, higher-upside options. That’s the area of the draft where wide receiver and tight end might also take precedence. With Pacheco, there is a reason to potentially target him if Gibbs goes down, but, in my opinion, it’s probably more worthwhile to shoot for higher upside.
FANTASY RANKINGS: PFN’s FREE Fantasy PPR, Half-PPR, and Non-PPR Rankings
Isiah Pacheco’s Week 1 Fantasy Outlook
Analysis provided by PFN Analyst Kyle Soppe.
I have a hard time seeing the Lions coming into this season with much in the way of a script for when Gibbs is off the field, and that’s a good thing.
If you drafted Pacheco, like I did, you didn’t do it with the thought that he’d hold standalone value out of the gates. Maybe we get there eventually (currently dealing with a bulky back and an MCL sprain); maybe we don’t.
I do buy the contingent value that the former Chief holds, and I’ve played fantasy long enough to know that if Pacheco gains 3 yards on 4 touches in this spot, managers are going to sour.
I’d pounce. We know that he’s capable of carrying the mail, and we know that this offense is going to generate scoring opportunities as often as anyone. A world exists in which he’s a version of David Montgomery, and even if he’s not, he’s the type of handcuff back I prioritize.
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Where Pacheco Ranks Among 2026 Running Backs
Pacheco sits outside our top 50 at running back. Here are the last five on the PFN Consensus Board:
- Keaton Mitchell | LAC
- Mike Washington Jr. | LV
- Tank Bigsby | PHI
- Jonah Coleman | DEN
- Tyjae Spears | TEN
Analysts Jason Katz and Kyle Soppe rank every running back on PFN's 2026 PPR Consensus Board.
