The Kansas City Chiefs’ backfield currently looks like a nightmare for fantasy football managers. Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt split duties in ways that created more questions than answers about their roles moving forward.
With their upcoming matchup against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles presenting significant challenges, can either of these backs be trusted in fantasy lineups?
Isiah Pacheco Fantasy Outlook
Entering this season, it was impossible to know for sure whether Pacheco’s struggles were simply him being overrated or the result of rushing back from a broken fibula that sapped his football-playing ability.
The preseason suggested it was the latter, as Pacheco looked fast and explosive once again, displaying the violent running style that made him effective in previous campaigns.
Week 1 confirmed that assessment, as Pacheco ran well and looked strong when given opportunities. He rushed five times for 25 yards while adding two receptions for three yards, demonstrating improved burst and decisiveness compared to his struggles following his return from injury last season.
However, the volume tells a concerning story that cannot be sugarcoated. Pacheco played just 50% of the snaps, barely edging Hunt’s 40% share in what was expected to be a clear hierarchy. His five carries represented an alarmingly low workload for a player many viewed as Kansas City’s feature back.
Isiah Pacheco’s fantasy points in his last nine games:
5.9
8.1
5.7
3.5
1.8
1.8
4.4
2.2
4.8— John Daigle (@notJDaigle) September 6, 2025
The game script certainly limited Pacheco’s opportunities, as the Chiefs fell behind early and were forced to throw more than they typically prefer. Kansas City trailed throughout most of the contest, creating negative game conditions that favored Hunt’s perceived pass-catching advantages over Pacheco’s between-the-tackles approach.
The snap distribution reveals deeper concerns about Pacheco’s role within Andy Reid’s system. Even accounting for game script, a 48% snap share suggests the Chiefs view this as more of a committee than the Pacheco-dominated backfield many fantasy managers expected based on his draft position and previous production.
Kareem Hunt Fantasy Outlook
Hunt’s 40% snap share and near-equal usage with Pacheco confirmed fears that Kansas City intends to make him a significant part of their offensive rotation. He carried the ball five times for 16 yards while managing just two receptions for 10 yards, demonstrating the same inefficiency that plagued his 2024 campaign.
His advanced metrics remain concerning, as he ranked among the bottom quartile of qualified running backs in explosive play rate and yards after contact during his previous stint with Kansas City.
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Hunt’s talent level simply doesn’t warrant any meaningful role in a high-powered offense, yet the Chiefs seem determined to involve him regularly in their game plans. His familiarity with Reid’s system and veteran presence appear to outweigh his declining physical abilities in the coaching staff’s evaluation.
The most troubling aspect of Hunt’s usage involves his role on third downs and in short-yardage situations. Hunt’s continued involvement creates a ceiling-limiting situation for both backs, as neither player can establish the volume necessary for consistent fantasy production.
His role appears secure regardless of efficiency, making him a frustrating factor in Kansas City’s backfield equation.
Should You Start Isiah Pacheco or Kareem Hunt This Week?
The context surrounding Week 1’s backfield usage becomes clearer when viewed through the lens of Hunt’s specific role rather than his individual fantasy value. Hunt’s involvement represents more of a problem for Pacheco than anything that gives Hunt himself startable value.
Hunt handles third-down work and short-yardage opportunities, carving out responsibilities that traditionally belong to feature backs. While this workload isn’t sufficient to make Hunt fantasy-relevant, it pigeonholes Pacheco into functioning as a two-down back who doesn’t catch passes and doesn’t receive goal-line carries.
This creates a fundamental question about Pacheco’s fantasy viability: if he isn’t involved in passing situations or goal-line work, how exactly will he accumulate fantasy points? His path to weekly relevance becomes extremely narrow without access to the high-value touches that typically separate fantasy-relevant backs from replacement-level players.
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The Week 2 matchup against Philadelphia compounds these concerns significantly. The Eagles fielded the second-best run defense in 2024 and largely neutralized Dallas in Week 1, holding the Cowboys to just 3.4 yards per carry on called rushing attempts outside of one fluky 49-yard run from Miles Sanders that was immediately followed by a fumble.
Even without the ejected DL Jalen Carter for their opener, Philadelphia’s defensive front demonstrated the ability to stuff running games and force teams into obvious passing situations. This type of game flow would likely favor Hunt’s role over Pacheco’s, further limiting the latter’s opportunities for meaningful production.
Hunt represents nothing more than a handcuff option for the back end of fantasy rosters. He doesn’t even qualify as a must-roster player in most league formats, as his touchdown-dependent ceiling and limited volume make him unsuitable for weekly lineup consideration.
Pacheco functions as a hold in fantasy formats but belongs nowhere near starting lineups unless the Chiefs dramatically change their backfield deployment. His talent appears restored from his injury concerns, but the role limitations created by Hunt’s involvement make him too risky for consistent fantasy use against quality defenses.
