The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 13. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB Isiah Pacheco.
Is Isiah Pacheco Playing in Week 13?
Updated at 1:45 PM ET on Friday, November 29
Pacheco is active for today's game.
Hunt will face competition from Isiah Pacheco, who fully practiced all week and has no injury destination for Week 13. Head coach Andy Reid said Pacheco will play this week, provided he had no setbacks.
Pacheco has been on IR since fracturing his fibula in Week 2. He’s been practicing for two weeks but was limited in every session until Tuesday. Now that he’s fully participating, Pacheco has never been closer to a potential return.
It remains to be seen how K.C. will divide touches between Pacheco and Hunt once the former returns. Hunt has finished as a top-25 fantasy RB or better in four of seven games.
“We’ll find a way. Both of them are good players,” head coach Andy Reid recently said of the Pacheco-Hunt split. “We’ll find a way to get both of them in if and when that takes place. That’s a good problem to have.”
We’ll continue to monitor the Chiefs’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Isiah Pacheco in Week 13?
There was cautious optimism entering last week that Isiah Pacheco (leg) would return to action against the Panthers, but Andy Reid ultimately ruled him out on Friday, opting to not bring him back on the heels of a short week.
A return to action on Black Friday makes all the sense in the world — Kansas City is heavily favored and will have something of a mini-bye heading into Week 14, allowing its star running back an extra 48 hours to recover.
I’m treating Pacheco as a fantasy manager exactly how I anticipate the Chiefs to — patience. They have no motivation to rush him back like the 49ers did with Christian McCaffrey, and that has me labeling 11-13 touches as a much more likely outcome than the 20.5 he averaged through the first two weeks this season.
The loss to the Bills in Week 11 could well prove to be a result that impacts fantasy championships in a major way. With Buffalo remaining in the chase for the top seed, Kansas City could be motivated to deploy Pacheco at full capacity sooner than they would have otherwise.
I have Kareem Hunt (RB2) ranked ahead of Pacheco (Flex) for this week, but I’m anticipating that flipping for Week 14 and this to be the Pacheco show during the fantasy playoffs, presuming he can escape the next few weeks without a setback.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 13 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Isiah Pacheco’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 13
As of Friday afternoon, Pacheco is projected to score 12 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 12.6 rushing attempts for 55.5 yards and 0.4 touchdowns. It also includes 2.2 receptions for 15.8 yards and 0 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Raiders' Defense
It seems unfair that the finger of blame was pointed almost solely at the Las Vegas Raiders' offensive staff given the significant defensive drop-off from last year.
The Raiders were a league-average unit in 2023, and they are back to the levels we saw between 2020 and 2022. If Antonio Pierce survives this offseason, he cannot let his defense (his strongest suit) be this bad again, or he won't make it to Year 3.
Everything about Las Vegas' pass defense has been bad, and it starts with the pressure up front. Despite having Maxx Crosby, who is one of the best pass rushers in the league, the Raiders rank 27th in pressure rate when not blitzing and 29th in sack rate.
It was not a bad outing against the Denver Broncos this week. That offense is playing better each week, so the Raiders' being a top-15 team was a credit to them. Still, Las Vegas is going to need to keep playing to that level if it wants to be competitive down the stretch.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Isiah Pacheco’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 10:30 AM ET on Sunday, December 1. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Weekly Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 13 RB PPR Rankings
1) De'Von Achane | MIA (at GB)
2) Saquon Barkley | PHI (at BAL)
3) Joe Mixon | HOU (at JAX)
4) Christian McCaffrey | SF (at BUF)
5) Bijan Robinson | ATL (vs. LAC)
6) Derrick Henry | BAL (vs. PHI)
7) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (vs. CHI)
8) Jonathan Taylor | IND (at NE)
9) Kyren Williams | LAR (at NO)
10) Breece Hall | NYJ (vs. SEA)
11) James Conner | ARI (at MIN)
12) Josh Jacobs | GB (vs. MIA)
13) David Montgomery | DET (vs. CHI)
14) Kenneth Walker III | SEA (at NYJ)
15) James Cook | BUF (vs. SF)
16) Alvin Kamara | NO (vs. LAR)
17) Chase Brown | CIN (vs. PIT)
18) Aaron Jones | MIN (vs. ARI)
19) Bucky Irving | TB (at CAR)
20) Najee Harris | PIT (at CIN)
21) Chuba Hubbard | CAR (vs. TB)
22) Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG (at DAL)
23) Tony Pollard | TEN (at WAS)
24) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (vs. TEN)
25) Rico Dowdle | DAL (vs. NYG)
26) Kareem Hunt | KC (vs. LV)
27) D'Andre Swift | CHI (at DET)
28) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE (vs. IND)
29) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX (vs. HOU)
30) Gus Edwards | LAC (at ATL)
31) Rachaad White | TB (at CAR)
32) Nick Chubb | CLE (at DEN)
33) Tank Bigsby | JAX (vs. HOU)
34) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (vs. TEN)
35) Jaylen Warren | PIT (at CIN)
36) Isiah Pacheco | KC (vs. LV)
37) Javonte Williams | DEN (vs. CLE)
38) Tyler Allgeier | ATL (vs. LAC)
39) Audric Estimé | DEN (vs. CLE)
40) Roschon Johnson | CHI (at DET)
41) Justice Hill | BAL (vs. PHI)
42) Ray Davis | BUF (vs. SF)
43) Jaylen Wright | MIA (at GB)
44) Jerome Ford | CLE (at DEN)
45) Ameer Abdullah | LV (at KC)
46) Cam Akers | HOU (at JAX)
47) Trey Benson | ARI (at MIN)
48) Raheem Mostert | MIA (at GB)
49) Devin Singletary | NYG (at DAL)
50) Braelon Allen | NYJ (vs. SEA)
51) Emanuel Wilson | GB (vs. MIA)
52) Zach Charbonnet | SEA (at NYJ)
53) Jonathon Brooks | CAR (vs. TB)
54) Jordan Mason | SF (at BUF)
55) Samaje Perine | KC (vs. LV)
56) Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN (vs. CLE)
57) Tyjae Spears | TEN (at WAS)
58) Blake Corum | LAR (at NO)
59) Antonio Gibson | NE (vs. IND)
60) Keaton Mitchell | BAL (vs. PHI)
61) Dylan Laube | LV (at KC)
62) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (at BAL)
63) Sean Tucker | TB (at CAR)
64) Khalil Herbert | CIN (vs. PIT)
65) Dare Ogunbowale | HOU (at JAX)
66) Ezekiel Elliott | DAL (vs. NYG)
67) JaMycal Hasty | NE (vs. IND)
68) Jamaal Williams | NO (vs. LAR)
69) Isaac Guerendo | SF (at BUF)
70) Will Shipley | PHI (at BAL)
71) Kyle Juszczyk | SF (at BUF)
72) Chris Brooks | GB (vs. MIA)
73) Cordarrelle Patterson | PIT (at CIN)
74) Ty Chandler | MIN (vs. ARI)
75) Trey Sermon | IND (at NE)
76) Emari Demercado | ARI (at MIN)
77) Carson Steele | KC (vs. LV)
78) Dameon Pierce | HOU (at JAX)
79) Hassan Haskins | LAC (at ATL)
80) Tyler Goodson | IND (at NE)
81) Patrick Ricard | BAL (vs. PHI)
82) Hunter Luepke | DAL (vs. NYG)
83) Pierre Strong Jr. | CLE (at DEN)
84) Julius Chestnut | TEN (at WAS)
85) Craig Reynolds | DET (vs. CHI)
86) Dalvin Cook | DAL (vs. NYG)
87) J.J. Taylor | HOU (at JAX)
88) Michael Burton | DEN (vs. CLE)
89) Sione Vaki | DET (vs. CHI)
90) C.J. Ham | MIN (vs. ARI)
91) Ronnie Rivers | LAR (at NO)
92) Travis Homer | CHI (at DET)
93) Kenny McIntosh | SEA (at NYJ)
94) Blake Watson | DEN (vs. CLE)
95) Eric Gray | NYG (at DAL)
96) Tyreik McAllister | LV (at KC)
97) Joshua Kelley | NYG (at DAL)
98) Alec Ingold | MIA (at GB)
99) DeeJay Dallas | ARI (at MIN)
Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs Trends
Las Vegas Raiders
Team: The Raiders pulled off the upset in Kansas City last year, but they entered that game after dropping 63 points on the Chargers the week prior. This year’s team enters play having scored 55 points over their past 11 quarters of action and is in the midst of a seven-game skid.
QB: Gardner Minshew posted a 4.9-yard average depth of throw in Sunday’s loss to the Broncos, the third time in four games his rate was under five yards.
Offense: The Raiders entered the red zone a season-high five times on Sunday against the Broncos – those drives netted just 16 points.
Defense: Vegas has allowed points on the majority of opponent drives in four straight games (last two weeks: 72.2%).
Fantasy: CeeDee Lamb (11.2), Malik Nabers (11.1), Garrett Wilson (10.1), and Ja’Marr Chase (9.9) – that’s your entire list of players averaging more targets per game since Week 3 than Jakobi Meyers (9.6).
Betting: The Raiders have seen eight of their past 11 games played on short rest go under the total.
Kansas City Chiefs
Team: Kansas City has won eight games by seven or fewer points this season, tying the most such wins this franchise has had in a single regular season since 2000. Over that stretch, only six times has a team won nine such games in a regular season:
- 2023 Steelers (lost in Wild Card)
- 2022 Vikings (lost in Wild Card)
- 2019 Seahawks (lost in Divisional Round)
- 2015 Broncos (won Super Bowl)
- 2012 Colts (lost in Wild Card)
- 2003 Panthers (lost in Super Bowl)
QB: Patrick Mahomes has completed all nine of his third-down passes over the past two weeks (last five games: 36-of-44, 81.8%).
Offense: The Chiefs scored a touchdown on three of eight drives against the Panthers, 37.5%, their highest rate in a game this season.
Defense: Against Carolina on Sunday, Kansas City allowed just 1.25 yards per carry after contact, a rate that was 25.1% better than anything this defense had produced through 11 weeks.
Fantasy: Is Patrick Mahomes here to save your fantasy season (if there is a season left to save)? The former MVP has thrown six touchdown passes on 70 attempts over his past two games after throwing six scores on 190 passes in the five games prior.
Betting: Unders are 7-1 in the Chiefs’ past eight games played on short rest.