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The Chiefs will enter the year with the same three running backs from a season ago: Isiah Pacheco, Jerick McKinnon, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire. All three were big parts of the offense at some point during 2022.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire started as the team's RB1 before losing the job. Pacheco took over at the midway point of the year, and Jerick McKinnon was a fantasy superstar in the playoffs.
Which Chiefs running back will be the team's RB1 this season? What are their fantasy outlooks? Let's dive in.
Is Jerick McKinnon, Isiah Pacheco, Clyde Edwards-Helaire The Chiefs RB1?
The Chiefs will likely roll with Pacheco as the RB1, especially given his late-season success. The former 2022 seventh-round pick ran 170 times for 830 yards and five touchdowns during the regular season. He also rushed another 197 yards in the playoffs. Since taking over the Kansas City backfield in Week 7, Pacheco finished the year with seven double-digit fantasy performances.
McKinnon will then fill in on third downs, a role he excelled in last year. The veteran had 56 catches for 512 yards and nine touchdowns in the receiving game while also rushing for 291 yards and one touchdown. The 31-year-old running back turned out to be a league winner after averaging 23.2 PPR points in the fantasy playoffs (Weeks 15-17).
That leaves Edwards-Helaire probably as the odd man out in the Chiefs' backfield. The 24-year-old back suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 11, which paved the way for Pacheco to take over the starting job. The former LSU star was already on his way to a backup role following back-to-back games in Week 10 and 11, where he played a total of nine snaps.
What are Isiah Pacheco, Jerick McKinnon, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire Fantasy Outlooks?
Of these three running backs, Pacheco and McKinnon will have some fantasy value in 2023, but neither should be drafted super high in fantasy drafts.
With Pacheco, it might be hard to trust him in fantasy on a Chiefs' offense that loves to throw the ball. Last year, he only averaged 9.9 PPR fantasy points per game from Week 7 to Week 17. The 23-year-old back could be a big breakout candidate, though, in his second season.
McKinnon's draft value is probably the better route to go in the later rounds. He's guaranteed the third down and receiving work on the best offense in the NFL. His age, 31, is a bit on the older side. It has worked for the past couple of seasons, and he has become Patrick Mahomes' go-to target in the red zone. He averaged 11.6 PPR last year, and as long as Mahomes is healthy, the veteran will be a solid flex play.
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