The Kansas City Chiefs are preparing for a crucial Week 11 divisional matchup against the Denver Broncos. Isiah Pacheco is dealing with a knee injury he sustained two weeks ago before the Chiefs’ bye. Will fantasy football managers get the Chiefs RB back this week?
Isiah Pacheco Injury Update
Pacheco had been healthy throughout the entire 2025 season until taking a shot to the knee on a fourth-quarter carry during the Chiefs’ Week 8 victory over the Washington Commanders. He immediately limped off the field and was evaluated by team trainers on the sideline. While he was able to walk off the injury, he did not return to the game.​
Tests revealed Pacheco had suffered a sprained MCL. The team labeled him as ‘week-to-week,’ which typically indicates a multi-week absence rather than a day-to-day situation.​
Pacheco missed the Week 9 game against the Buffalo Bills. The Chiefs had their Week 10 bye, providing additional recovery time. The initial expectation was Pacheco would be ready for Week 11 coming out of the bye.​
That timeline appeared optimistic given the nature of MCL sprains and the typical 4-6 week recovery period. Sure enough, reports emerged early in the week that Pacheco might not be ready coming out of the bye.​
Head coach Andy Reid provided a concerning update on Sunday when addressing the media ahead of the Broncos matchup. “I’ll have to see on Pacheco,” Reid replied when asked if he expects to see the running back back in practice this week.​
This stood out as notably concerning, considering Reid said that right tackle Jawaan Taylor would “probably be okay” to practice in the same response. The KC Star’s Pete Sweeney had the same read on the situation, reporting: “Reid nudged that RB Isiah Pacheco (knee) may take more time, while RT Jawaan Taylor (ankle) felt OK by the time he returned from Buffalo”.​
It sure sounds as if Pacheco is trending toward missing another game. Week 12 would put Pacheco at four weeks removed from the injury, which is more in line with how these things go.​
Pacheco missed nine straight games with a broken leg in 2024, and even when he returned, he was never the same. The hope is that this new injury doesn’t turn into another prolonged absence.​
The Chiefs attempted to address the running back position at the trade deadline, inquiring about New York Jets running back Breece Hall. However, they couldn’t get a deal done with the Jets.
Pacheco’s Fantasy Outlook
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With Pacheco sidelined, Kareem Hunt has stepped into the starting role and established himself as the clear lead back. While Pacheco was out, the thought was Brashard Smith would split with Hunt. Instead, it was pretty much all Hunt in Week 9 against Buffalo.​
The veteran played 78% of the snaps in that contest, the highest snap share for any Chiefs back since Week 1 of the 2024 season when Hunt was still sitting at home on his couch. Hunt carried the ball 11 times for 49 yards and a touchdown while adding two receptions for six yards.​
Hunt has proven capable of handling a featured workload. He filled in admirably for Pacheco last season during his recovery from a broken fibula and posted weekly RB2 numbers.​
Through nine games this season, Hunt has compiled 294 rushing yards on 73 carries with five touchdowns. He’s added nine receptions for 63 yards and another touchdown in the passing game.
The Week 11 matchup against the Denver Broncos represents a bad one for the Kansas City ground game. However, Hunt will remain a volume-based RB2 simply due to his workload in the Chiefs’ offense.​
At this point, Smith doesn’t even need to be rostered. His involvement has been minimal with Hunt dominating the backfield touches. Even if Hunt were to go down alongside Pacheco, Reid may legitimate push Clyde Edwards-Helaire as the lead back ahead of Smith.
If Pacheco misses another start in Week 11, Edwards-Helaire would once again get the call from the practice squad. This provides additional insurance behind Hunt but doesn’t impact the fantasy landscape significantly.​
Fantasy managers rostering Pacheco should prepare for at least one more week without him. Week 12 against the Indianapolis Colts represents a more realistic target for his return, which would mark four weeks since the injury occurred. Monitor practice reports this week for any signs of progress, but the expectation should be that Hunt continues as Kansas City’s lead back for another week.​
