Isiah Pacheco

27-Year-Old Running BackRB

Detroit Lions

2024 Rush/Rec Stats

ATT

118

YDS

462

YDS

101

2025 Projections

ATT

YDS

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2025 Fantasy Outlook

Playing on a one-year, fully-guaranteed $1.81 million deal, Pacheco will likely have some notable role in the 2026 Lions offense. He's still likely a downgrade from the previous Detroit RB2, however -- David Montgomery was overqualified as the backup to Jahmyr Gibbs, whereas Pacheco is probably correctly slotted as a backup at this point. Pacheco's crazy motor and otherwise standout combination of raw power and speed didn't show up often enough in the box score in Kansas City, the washed-up version of Kareem Hunt slowly prying away the RB1 role with the Chiefs over the last two years. Pacheco's intense running style also opens him up to injury more than most, so he isn't especially reliable in any regard. Availability and consistency are both ongoing questions for the former Rutgers standout, though Pacheco would prove a good Montgomery replacement if he can somehow recapture the form he showed in his first two NFL seasons before the harsh decline since. Read Past Outlooks

RANKS

#173.29

ADP

Overall

Running Back

Bye Week 6

Height 5'10"

Weight 216

DOB 3/2/1999

College Rutgers

Drafted 7th Rd 2022 #251 Overall

Being signed by Lions

RBDetroit Lions

March 10, 2026

Pacheco has agreed to terms on a contract with Detroit, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

ANALYSIS
Pacheco fits into the Lions' backfield alongside superstar running back Jahmyr Gibbs, replacing David Montgomery. In his first two seasons with Kansas City, Pacheco averaged 4.7 YPC and scored 12 rushing TDs in 31 regular-season game as a bruising between-the-tackles runner. In part due to injuries, however, the 2022 seventh-round pick has now logged back-to-back seasons with less than 500 rushing yards and under 4.0 YPC, with only two rushing scores in 20 regular-season contests. Pacheco could rebound in Detroit with opposing defenses honing in on Gibbs, but he may not see the same touch volume that Montgomery did.

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NFL Stats

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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats

See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.

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Advanced NFL Stats

How do Isiah Pacheco's 2024 advanced stats compare to other running backs?

This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.

Broken Tackle %
The number of broken tackles divided by rush attempts.
Positive Run %
The percentage of run plays where he was able to gain positive yardage.
% Yds After Contact
The percentage of his rushing yards that came after contact.
Avg Yds After Contact
The average rushing yards he gains after contact.
Rushing TD %
Rushing touchdowns divided by rushing attempts. In other words, how often is he scoring when running the ball.
Touches Per Game
The number of touches (rushing attempts + receptions) he is averaging per game
% Snaps w/Touch
The number of touches (rushing attempts + receptions) divided by offensive snaps played.
Air Yards Per Game
The number of air yards he is averaging per game. Air yards measure how far the ball was thrown downfield for both complete and incomplete passes. Air yards are recorded as a negative value when the pass is targeted behind the line of scrimmage. All air yards data is from Sports Info Solutions and does not include throwaways as targeted passes.
Air Yards Per Snap
The number of air yards he is averaging per offensive snap.
% Team Air Yards
The percentage of the team's total air yards he accounts for.
% Team Targets
The percentage of the team's total targets he accounts for.
Avg Depth of Target
Also known as aDOT, this stat measures the average distance down field he is being targeted at.
Catch Rate
The number of catches made divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
Drop Rate
The number of passes he dropped divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
Avg Yds After Catch
The number of yards he gains after the catch on his receptions.
% Targeted On Route
Targets divided by total routes run. Also known as TPRR.
Avg Yds Per Route Run
Receiving yards divided by total routes run. Also known as YPRR.

Broken Tackle %

4.8%

Positive Run %

85.5%

% Yds After Contact

64.5%

Avg Yds After Contact

2.4

Rushing TD %

1.2%

Touches Per Game

13.6

% Snaps w/Touch

46.3%

Air Yards Per Game

-3.7

Air Yards Per Snap

-0.13

% Team Air Yards

-0.7%

% Team Targets

2.8%

Avg Depth of Target

-1.6 Yds

Catch Rate

75.0%

Drop Rate

6.3%

Avg Yds After Catch

10.1

% Targeted On Route

16.5%

Avg Yds Per Route Run

0.81

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2024 NFL Game Log

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2022 NFL Game Log

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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart

Snap Counts

Snap %

Lions 2024 RB Snap Distribution See more data like this | See last season's snap counts

J.Jahmyr Gibbs

D.David Montgomery

C.Craig Reynolds

S.Sione Vaki

J.Jermar Jefferson

#% of Team Snaps

67557%

39733%

948%

252%

121%

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#2 RB

Lions

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Receiving Alignment Breakdown

See where Isiah Pacheco lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.

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2024 Isiah Pacheco Split Stats

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Measurables Review View College Player Page

How do Isiah Pacheco's measurables compare to other running backs?

This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.

Height

5' 10"

Weight

216 lbs

40-Yard Dash

4.37 sec

Vertical Jump

33.0 in

Broad Jump

118 in

Hand Length

9.25 in

Arm Length

30.50 in

Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Isiah Pacheco See More

Best Ball ADP Comparison Tool: What's Changed This Summer

3 days ago

Track ADP movement from before the draft to present day with our interactive best ball comparison tool. Jonathon Brooks rising, Pacheco vs Robinson, and more emerging trends.

Fantasy Football 2026: 5 Calls That Could Win Your League

5 days ago

Mario Puig predicts five fantasy football situations for the 2026 season that could help win your league, including Jahmyr Gibbs vs. Bijan Robinson as the No. 1 pick.

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6 days ago

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12 days ago

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Best Ball ADP Arbitrage Report: Why Brock Bowers is a Must on DraftKings

14 days ago

RotoWire's Jerry Donabedian compares ADPs from Underdog and Drafters to those from DraftKings, finding that TE Brock Bowers, WR Malik Nabers and WR Josh Downs are among the top values on DK.

Past Fantasy Outlooks

2024

2023

2022

The Chiefs are careful to consistently invest in their offensive line, allowing them to provide consistently good blocking and a favorable setup for whoever is playing running back. Even so, Pacheco has proven a uniquely good fit for the Chiefs offense since they stole him out of Rutgers in the seventh round of the 2022 Draft. His 4.37 speed makes him a home-run threat, and his violent, high-motor running presents a challenging power component to defenses that are already spread thin by QB Patrick Mahomes. Pacheco's violent running does come with long-term durability concerns, especially wear-and-tear ailments like the shoulder trouble he played through in 2023, though injuries have cost him only two games through two seasons. He can handle every running back task and improved his passing-down work last year, eventually taking at least 70 percent of snaps in each of Kansas City's four playoff contests. His workloads typically haven't been that large during the regular season, but it's not out of the question for 2024 after the Chiefs settled for bringing back Clyde Edwards-Helaire in free agency and then added Samaje Perine shortly before the start of the season.

Pacheco probably wouldn't be as good in other offenses, but the Kansas City scheme fit like a glove last year and helped him average 4.9 yards on 170 regular-season carries as a seventh-round pick turned rookie starter. Like Damien Williams on the previous KC championship team, Pacheco thrives without great vision because the offense mostly demands speed and anchor from a running back. Runners normally need vision to decipher the field and locate openings that might not be obvious. In the Chiefs offense, though, it's usually obvious because Patrick Mahomes keeps the safeties back and a standout offensive line blasts openings underneath. Once space is created, Pacheco has the size (5-11, 215), strength and speed (4.37 40) to take advantage. He should continue producing as the lead runner in a pass-first offense, but he'll need more targets to reach the next level as a fantasy asset after seeing only 21 in 20 games (including playoffs) last season. The Chiefs didn't draft a running back or sign any noteworthy veterans, opting to run it back with Pacheco, Jerick McKinnon and Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

After posting lackluster numbers at Rutgers the last four years, Pacheco could prove to be one of the steals of the 2022 Draft. He has the frame of an NFL starter at 5-10, 216, and his 4.37 40 time at the combine suggests he can do damage if his offensive line creates open space. Pacheco may have picked up some bad habits in college working behind a brutal Rutgers O- line, and he'll have to show he has the patience necessary to let plays develop, but the combination of size and speed makes him more compelling than the typical seventh-round pick. It doesn't hurt to land in Kansas City, home of a high-powered offense led by QB Patrick Mahomes and a mediocre RB depth chart led by Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Ronald Jones. Reports out of camp have been positive, and Pacheco even got a few snaps with the first-team offense in KC's first two preseason games.

More Fantasy News

Not playing in Week 18

RBKansas City Chiefs

Rest

January 4, 2026

Pacheco (rest) is inactive for Sunday's Week 18 matchup against the Raiders, Matt McMullen of the team's official site reports.