Isiah Pacheco Injury Update Opens Door for Samaje Perine, Carson Steele in Fantasy Football

Brian Giuffra | Sep 16, 2024

Kansas City Chiefs running back Samaje Perine. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Fantasy football managers who drafted Isiah Pacheco got some disastrous news this morning when it was revealed that Chiefs starting running back suffered a fractured fibula during Kansas City's Week 2 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

It's unclear how long Pacheco will be out exactly, but NFL insider Adam Schefter reported he's being placed on the IR and is "expected to be sidelined 6-8 weeks."

While that puts Pacheco managers in a tough position, the good news is his two primary backups, Samaje Perine and Carson Steele, are available in virtually all leagues to be picked up on the waiver wire this week. On ESPN, for instance, Perine is rostered in just 3.6% of leagues and Steele is rostered in 1.6%.

The question, of course, becomes which one to pick up.

Samaje Perine vs. Carson Steele in Fantasy Football

The seemingly obvious answer is Perine. He was the primary backup for Joe Mixon for many years in Cincinnati and totaled 238 rushing yards and 455 receiving yards for the Broncos last season. He's an eighth-year vet too versus Steele, who is a rookie.

While that all points to Perine as the primary benefactor in fantasy football, he hasn't had a carry for the Chiefs this season. Part of that is likely due to the Chiefs picking him up off waivers right before the season started. But it is worth noting Steele has 9 carries and has been used in the red zone already, though he also lost a fumble in Week 2.

This is setting up as a dual-back situation where each player has specific plays designed for them in the game plan. My expectation is Perine will be used in most passing situations and Steele will be the primary short-yardage back. We could also see a situation where they alternate the first few series and the Chiefs ride the hot hand from there.

The Chiefs will also likely sign a RB off their practice squad or add a free agent, who would take some time to acclimate to the offensive scheme.

Personally, Perine seems like the back to target on the waiver wire, though I would limit expectations on the return on investment. Perine has never been an every-down back previously and Steele could vulture TDs around the goal line.

This likely means an uptick in usage for Patrick Mahomes and the receiving corp, which is good fantasy news for Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and, yes, Travis Kelce managers too.