Who Should I Start? Isiah Pacheco or Khalil Herbert

Monday, February 12, 1:16 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (ankle/toe) couldn't get much going in Super Bowl LVIII, but his team still topped the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 to come away with their third championship in the past four years. Pacheco carried the ball 18 times for 59 yards and added six receptions for 33 yards, but it was a rough evening all around for the 2022 seventh-rounder. Pacheco lost a fumble with the Chiefs in a goal-to-go to stall a potential scoring drive in the second quarter and nearly coughed it up again on a failed handoff to open the second half. It was a disappointing outcome in the box score, considering the Niners had gotten trampled on the ground during the postseason. The 24-year-old dealt with some tough injury luck down the stretch of the campaign, but Pacheco solidified himself as a fully capable workhorse in 2023 and will enter 2024 as an early-round fantasy pick with top-12 positional expectations in all likelihood.

Thursday, May 2, 2:16 PM

The Athletic's Kevin Fishbain wonders if running back Khalil Herbert would be a trade candidate if the Chicago Bears bring in an undrafted rookie at the position and he impresses. Of course, this all depends on the development of Roschon Johnson. Herbert is entering the final year of his rookie deal. D'Andre Swift signed a three-year contract with the Bears this offseason, while Johnson has the same number of years remaining on his first contract after being drafted in the fourth round in 2023. Herbert is a solid back, but RBI is a position that changes often for teams. Chicago's coaching staff is high on Johnson, and the 26-year-old Herbert dealt with ankle and back injuries last year after leading the NFL with 5.7 yards per carry in 2022. The addition of Swift in this backfield obviously hurts Herbert's fantasy stock a great deal heading into the 2024 season.