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When will Isiah Pacheco return? Latest injury updates for Chiefs RB

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When will Isiah Pacheco return? Latest injury updates for Chiefs RB

The Kansas City Chiefs lost many of their top offensive playmakers to injuries during the 2024 NFL season, but it appears they may be ready to get one back soon.

Running back Isiah Pacheco is nearing his return after a leg injury that has sidelined him since the end of the Chiefs’ Week 2 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Pacheco suffered a broken fibula after being tackled during a carry on the final drive of the game. Three Bengals defenders pinned down the third-year back and he bent over awkwardly as he fell to the ground.

Pacheco was seen leaving the stadium on crutches and in walking boots. It was later revealed that he had broken his leg and would miss approximately six to eight weeks due to the injury.

When will Pacheco return from his injury? Here’s what you need to know about his status as the Chiefs prepare for IR’s return.

Isiah Pacheco injury update

The Chiefs designated Pacheco to return from IR ahead of their Week 11 game against the Buffalo Bills. That opened a 21-day window for the veteran running back to return to the 53-man roster.

Pacheco was also allowed to return to practice after his appointment. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said during a news conference on Monday that Pacheco, along with defensive end Charles Omenihu and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, would all likely return to practice.

“Listen, I think they’re all close,” Reid said. “I would probably tell you (Smith-Schuster is) closer than the other two, but I would tell you we might have them out there, we’ll just see how it goes here (Monday) and (Tuesday).” They are very close, all three.”

Pacheco indeed returned to the practice field on Wednesday. He logged limited sessions on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before being ruled out for the Week 11 game against the Bills.

However, it doesn’t look like he’ll be sidelined for much longer now that he’s close to returning from his broken leg.

When will Isiah Pacheco return?

Pacheco is expected to be ready to return to action for the Chiefs’ Week 12 game against the Carolina Panthers, as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Sunday on “NFL GameDay Morning.”

The only question is whether the Chiefs will activate Pacheco for Week 12 or wait to do so until their Week 13 Black Friday game against the Las Vegas Raiders. The team may want to sit him out of both games this short week so they can focus on getting him back for the divisional matchup against Las Vegas.

That Pacheco will be healthy for the return in Week 12 isn’t much of a surprise. While the Chiefs ruled out Pacheco and Omenihu for Week 11, Reid said during a press conference on Friday that both “did a good job this week” and were “running around well.”

As such, it appears that Pacheco is almost fully healthy after his nine-week absence. Once the Chiefs officially bring him back, the only question for fantasy football managers will be whether the team plans to bring him back into action.

Fantasy vision by Isiah Pacheco

Pacheco was a workhorse in the first two games of the season for the Chiefs before suffering a broken leg. He played 43 snaps in each game and averaged 20.5 touches over the two games, clearly establishing himself as Kansas City’s No. 1 defenseman.

Pacheco will still be Kansas City’s best player upon his return. However, its workload may not be as robust. Kareem Hunt has done an excellent job filling in for Pacheco since he was signed midseason, so the Chiefs plan to continue to give Hunt work as they bring Pacheco back into action and try to keep both fresh for the postseason.

It’s not clear exactly what that split will look like, but Pacheco owners should temper their expectations early in his return. His potential Week 12 matchup with Carolina is certainly favorable, but splitting touches 50-50 with Hunt will cap his ceiling.

In other words, don’t expect Pacheco to have RB1 volume right away. Treat him as a high-potential RB2 who could emerge as a league winner as he gets healthier.

Kareem Hunt fantasy prospects

Hunt has reached legitimate RB1 volume since his first game with the Chiefs in Week 4. He is averaging 23.2 touches per game through six games and has put up at least 100 scrimmage yards in three of those contests.

Hunt’s productivity likely earned him a role as Pacheco’s foil for the rest of the season. That said, Hunt is only averaging 3.6 yards per carry. Pacheco was averaging a 4 before his injury, so if he continues to be more explosive than Hunt, that will allow him to absorb more and more of the rushing workload.

Early in Pacheco’s return, Hunt can still be expected to be a solid RB2, especially in a big game against the Panthers. But as time goes on, his ceiling seems likely to drop. That will likely take him from marginal RB1 status to that of a solid, boom-or-bust flex.

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