ESPN thinks that Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco could be a league leader this season
The Kansas City Chiefs have their starting running back. It is Isiah Pacheco. At least, it should be for Andy Reid and co. Pacheco was impressive in his time as the main runner last year for the Chiefs, and his development at the NFL level has only begun. Mike Clay, an ESPN analyst, believes that […]
The Kansas City Chiefs have their starting running back. It is Isiah Pacheco. At least, it should be for Andy Reid and co. Pacheco was impressive in his time as the main runner last year for the Chiefs, and his development at the NFL level has only begun.
Mike Clay, an ESPN analyst, believes that Pacheco could have a special season brewing for KC. He compares the upside of the Chiefs running back to Jamaal Williams' from last year. Williams led the NFL in touchdowns (17) from a RB last season for the Detroit Lions.
Williams was a veteran RB who overcame a limited receiving role with a barrage of TDs en route to a surprise top-15 fantasy season.
Predicting double-digit TD seasons is nearly impossible, but it's not hard to identify backs in position for a bulk of goal-line work behind a strong offensive line. Perhaps David Montgomery (Williams' de facto replacement in Detroit) should be the best fit for this category, but I find Pacheco a bit more interesting. The 2022 seventh-round pick scored six rushing TDs on 207 carries as a rookie (including the playoffs) and that was despite a limited role for roughly half the season. Believe it or not the Chiefs finished the regular season with 22 TDs scored by RBs, which tied for third most in the league. Regression lock and 31-year-old Jerick McKinnon scored 10 of those 22 TDs and some of those scores could shift to Pacheco (Kansas City's biggest and hardest-running back) in 2023. — Clay
Like Clay said, predicting TDs is almost impossible. That being said, we know that the Chiefs offense will put him in plenty of situations to get into the end zone. Scoring 15+ is no small feat, but don't be shocked if Pacheco achieves it if he is the cemented starter in KC.
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