RADIO
Who Should I Start for Fantasy Football Divisional Round? Fantasy Football Outlooks for Kareem Hunt, Isiah Pacheco, Joe Mixon. Our expert fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks.
The Houston Texans blew out the Los Angeles Chargers 32-12 in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs. They'll be rewarded with a trip to Arrowhead Stadium, where they'll have to take on the Kansas City Chiefs. That's no easy job.
That doesn't mean things will be easy for the Chiefs, either. Houston has one of the best defenses in the league -- they have stars both along the defensive line and in the secondary, and they shined in the win over the Chargers. They'll have their work cut out for them as well.
Chiefs running backs Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco (ribs) and Texans RB Joe Mixon (ankle) should combine to take nearly all the backfield touches for each team. We'll break down if they're good players to add to your Daily Fantasy Sports lineups.
Should I Start Kareem Hunt for Fantasy Football?
We wouldn't recommend this. He's firmly in a committee backfield, sharing touches with Isiah Pacheco, and that's unlikely to change. And he's been inefficient in recent weeks, failing to eclipse more than 3.5 yards per carry in four of his last five contests.
#Chiefs HC Andy Reid on the snap split for Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt:
“I don’t know how they’ll divvy up, but I would imagine it’ll just end up being the same as we’ve been doing with them. They’ll both be in there battling.”
Reid has a 65% reliability rating on… pic.twitter.com/vm04qHCvVp
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) January 10, 2025
The split has been frustrating for fantasy managers, but largely predictable in that neither back has been productive since Pacheco returned to play. It seems unlikely that Hunt will have a big game against a stout Texans run defense that allows just 4.3 yards per opponent rush attempt.
Should I Start Isiah Pacheco for Fantasy Football?
We wouldn't recommend this, either. Since his return from injury, Pacheco has failed to score double-digit PPR fantasy points in any of his contests. He's also averaged under 40% of offensive snaps since then. While great players sometimes turn things on for the playoffs, it's hard to predict that it will happen here.
Isiah Pacheco still hasn't had a goal-line carry since returning from injury.
It's been all Kareem Hunt 😬pic.twitter.com/PJMEo9ZGt8
— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) December 21, 2024
Hunt has been the primary goal-line back as well. Such a low usage rate in crucial situations and in general have severely depressed Pacheco's fantasy value, and we don't recommend you pick him up in DFS leagues in a poor matchup. He's been one of the biggest fantasy busts this season.
As a side note, he practiced in full, so his rib injury isn't a concern.
Should I Start Joe Mixon for Fantasy Football?
Mixon was absent from his team's Thursday practice due to an ankle issue. He practiced in full on Tuesday and was downgraded to a limited participant on Wednesday, so the absence may be concerning, but reports indicate that he's unlikely to miss the game on Saturday.
#Texans RB Joe Mixon is not here at Thursday’s final open practice before Saturday’s Divisional Round game against the #Chiefs.
Mixon popped up on the injury report with an ankle injury on Wednesday. Imagine it would take something serious for him not to play this weekend.
— Sam Warren (@samwarren_3) January 16, 2025
We don't know how severe the injury is, and we aren't sure how close to 100% he'll be. The Chiefs also have a tough run defense, and have allowed the fewest PPR fantasy points per game to opposing running backs this season.
He's a decent player to pick up on DraftKings, but he's priced similarly to Buffalo Bills running back James Cook, who we like a bit better, so Mixon is a risky player to add to lineups. He had some big fantasy duds to end the season, largely due to blocking deficiencies along the offensive line, and that's concerning. We'd rather go with Cook.
More Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks
Terrance Ferguson - Start or Sit?
BALLER MOVE: Start in 12 + Team Leagues POSITIONAL VALUE: TE2/FLEX with upside ANALYSIS: The Los Angeles Rams passing attack will look quite different on Monday night when they face the New York Giants. The team just announced that star wideout Puka Nacua will not suit up due to a hip injury. While Davante Adams is […]
Rashod Bateman - Start or Sit?
BALLER MOVE: Start in 14-Team Leagues POSITIONAL VALUE: WR4 ANALYSIS: Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman is about to get a lot more targets, according to Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Bateman looked solid in training camp, though then again, so do players like WR Elijah Moore, and they end up not doing much in real games. […]
Quentin Johnston - Start or Sit?
BALLER MOVE: Start in 12 + Team Leagues POSITIONAL VALUE: WR3 ANALYSIS: Many fantasy managers, myself included (regrettably), expected new Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel to get wide receiver Quentin Johnston more involved on plays where he could utilize his skill set -- running after the catch -- better. That didn't happen in Week […]
Devaughn Vele - Start or Sit?
BALLER MOVE: Start in 12+ Team Leagues POSITIONAL VALUE: WR3/FLEX ANALYSIS: Vele's performance in Week 1 was shocking. In the absence of WR Jordyn Tyson (hamstring), he served as the team's WR2, and caught seven of his nine targets for 69 yards and a touchdown, finishing with 19.9 PPR fantasy points. He played 91 percent […]
Deebo Samuel Sr. - Start or Sit?
BALLER MOVE: Start in 12-Team Leagues POSITIONAL VALUE: WR3 ANALYSIS: San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. was expected to play an ancillary role with his team when he was signed in the offseason. Then 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee) had surgery to correct his PCL issues and was ruled out for the […]
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
