RADIO
Should I drop Isiah Pacheco for fantasy football Week 11? Is Isiah Pacheco a safe player to cut? Read the fantasy football waivers outlook.
Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco suffered in sprained MCL during their Week 8 win over the Washington Commanders and hasn't practiced since. The 26-year-old had the Week 10 bye to rest the injury, but head coach Andy Reid said it "may take more time."
Pacheco didn't participate in Wednesday's practice, which suggests that he likely won't be ready to go for Week 11 against the Denver Broncos. Veteran Kareem Hunt and rookie Brashard Smith will likely see the bulk of the reps, with Pacheco expected to be out again.
How close is Pacheco to returning? And is he worth holding onto until then? Let's break down whether the Chiefs RB deserves a spot on your bench.
Holiday Special! Save 30% on any Premium Pass using discount code NEW. Win more with our DFS, Betting and Season-Long Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! GAIN ACCESS
Should I Drop Isiah Pacheco in Fantasy Football?
Pacheco wasn't scoring a ton of fantasy points when he was healthy, as he and Hunt split the majority of the Chiefs' running back touches. Hunt had the more favorable role for fantasy, taking the majority of the goal-line carries, scoring five rushing touchdowns on the year to Pacheco's one.
It was still Pacheco's backfield for the most part outside of the short-yardage stuff in Weeks 1-8, playing 56.8% of the snaps, handling 34.7% of the team's carries, and running 38.8% of the routes, all of which led the team, per Fantasy Points Data Suite. But those numbers aren't great for a running back who isn't overly explosive or dynamic. He had just one game with 16 touches, which was the Chiefs' blowout win against the Raiders in Week 7, while his workload in the other games ranged from seven to 13. Pacheco scored double-digit PPR points in two of eight games.
Pacheco powers through to make it 28-0!
LVvsKC on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/UrV3Pb9Gjc
— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2025
Fantasy managers in 12-team leagues and deeper should likely hold Pacheco for the time being and wait until his return, which could come in Week 12 against the Indianapolis Colts. Hunt hasn't been great in his absence, and the coaching staff is reluctant to give more work to Smith. The rest of the season schedule is mixed with great matchups, including the Cowboys in Week 13 and Titans in Week 16, but also some tough ones, with the Texans and Broncos both being stout run defenses.
Who Should I Pick Up for Fantasy Football?
Chris Rodriguez Jr. looks like he will be the starter in Washington moving forward after being named a team captain ahead of their Week 10 matchup against the Lions and playing 17 of 25 snaps in the first half before leaving with a shoulder injury. But it's been reported on Wednesday that he is good to go for their Week 11 matchup in Madrid against the Miami Dolphins, and he should have a key role.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. runs it in for the @Commanders 1st TD of the day!
DETvsWAS on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/uPLAFybF4y
— NFL (@NFL) November 9, 2025
Rodriguez should have upside beyond this week as well, with runway as their lead back and the fifth-easiest rest of season schedule for running backs, according to RotoViz's Strength of Schedule Streaming App. He is rostered in just 3% of ESPN leagues.
Fantasy managers could also pivot to scooping up Rams running back Blake Corum, who has been alternating drives with starter Kyren Williams in recent weeks. Over the past three games, Corum has 38 carries for 151 yards, compared to Williams with 51 carries for 241 yards. Williams still gets all the high-value touches in goal-line carries and receptions, scoring three touchdowns to Corum's zero, but the gap is narrowing between the two, making Corum a priority handcuff with some standalone value as well.
Who Should I Pickup Tool
Trying to decide who to pickup off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...
Who Should I Pickup? Some common 2025 fantasy football waiver wire decisions are regarding players like Trey Benson, Parker Washington, Dalton Schultz, Alec Pierce, Emari Demercado. But not to worry, we are here to help make these waiver wire decisions and build winning teams in 2025. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups in 2025. Our free Who Should I Pickup? tool will help make your fantasy football waiver wire decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to pickup... all free! Make the right decisions.
2025 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on players like Trey Benson, Parker Washington, Dalton Schultz, Alec Pierce, Emari Demercado. They are some of the most common searches for 2025 fantasy football waiver wire pickups.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
Recent Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2025. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2025 for Trey Benson, Parker Washington, Dalton Schultz, Alec Pierce, Emari Demercado:
More Waiver Wire Analysis
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!
