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The Houston Texans blew out the Los Angeles Chargers 32-12 in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs. They'll be rewarded with a trip to Arrowhead Stadium, where they'll have to take on the Kansas City Chiefs. That's no easy job.
That doesn't mean things will be easy for the Chiefs, either. Houston has one of the best defenses in the league -- they have stars both along the defensive line and in the secondary, and they shined in the win over the Chargers. They'll have their work cut out for them as well.
Chiefs running backs Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco (ribs) and Texans RB Joe Mixon (ankle) should combine to take nearly all the backfield touches for each team. We'll break down if they're good players to add to your Daily Fantasy Sports lineups.
Should I Start Kareem Hunt for Fantasy Football?
We wouldn't recommend this. He's firmly in a committee backfield, sharing touches with Isiah Pacheco, and that's unlikely to change. And he's been inefficient in recent weeks, failing to eclipse more than 3.5 yards per carry in four of his last five contests.
#Chiefs HC Andy Reid on the snap split for Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt:
“I don’t know how they’ll divvy up, but I would imagine it’ll just end up being the same as we’ve been doing with them. They’ll both be in there battling.”
Reid has a 65% reliability rating on… pic.twitter.com/vm04qHCvVp
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) January 10, 2025
The split has been frustrating for fantasy managers, but largely predictable in that neither back has been productive since Pacheco returned to play. It seems unlikely that Hunt will have a big game against a stout Texans run defense that allows just 4.3 yards per opponent rush attempt.
Should I Start Isiah Pacheco for Fantasy Football?
We wouldn't recommend this, either. Since his return from injury, Pacheco has failed to score double-digit PPR fantasy points in any of his contests. He's also averaged under 40% of offensive snaps since then. While great players sometimes turn things on for the playoffs, it's hard to predict that it will happen here.
Isiah Pacheco still hasn't had a goal-line carry since returning from injury.
It's been all Kareem Hunt 😬pic.twitter.com/PJMEo9ZGt8
— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) December 21, 2024
Hunt has been the primary goal-line back as well. Such a low usage rate in crucial situations and in general have severely depressed Pacheco's fantasy value, and we don't recommend you pick him up in DFS leagues in a poor matchup. He's been one of the biggest fantasy busts this season.
As a side note, he practiced in full, so his rib injury isn't a concern.
Should I Start Joe Mixon for Fantasy Football?
Mixon was absent from his team's Thursday practice due to an ankle issue. He practiced in full on Tuesday and was downgraded to a limited participant on Wednesday, so the absence may be concerning, but reports indicate that he's unlikely to miss the game on Saturday.
#Texans RB Joe Mixon is not here at Thursday’s final open practice before Saturday’s Divisional Round game against the #Chiefs.
Mixon popped up on the injury report with an ankle injury on Wednesday. Imagine it would take something serious for him not to play this weekend.
— Sam Warren (@samwarren_3) January 16, 2025
We don't know how severe the injury is, and we aren't sure how close to 100% he'll be. The Chiefs also have a tough run defense, and have allowed the fewest PPR fantasy points per game to opposing running backs this season.
He's a decent player to pick up on DraftKings, but he's priced similarly to Buffalo Bills running back James Cook, who we like a bit better, so Mixon is a risky player to add to lineups. He had some big fantasy duds to end the season, largely due to blocking deficiencies along the offensive line, and that's concerning. We'd rather go with Cook.
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