These fantasy sleepers might just bring you a Week 11 win
USA TODAY Sports’ Joe Rivera and Jacob Camenker give fantasy managers a few solid sleepers to target before Sunday.
The Kansas City Chiefs are coming out of their Week 10 bye with a 5-4 record. They are trailing both the Denver Broncos (8-2) and the Los Angeles Chargers (7-3) in the AFC West race and will need to make up ground quickly as they look to win their 10th consecutive divisional title.
Will the Chiefs have their top running back, Isiah Pacheco, at their disposal as they do so? That remains to be seen.
Pacheco suffered a knee injury late in Kansas City’s Week 8 win over the Washington Commanders. He was able to finish the game but had to miss the team’s Week 9 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Pacheco’s absence isn’t expected to be long-term, and he hasn’t yet been placed on injured reserve (IR). That said, it remains unclear exactly how long the 26-year-old will remain sidelined as Kansas City returns from the bye.
Here are the latest updates on Pacheco’s knee injury and when he might return to action.
When will Isiah Pacheco return?
The Chiefs have not yet provided a potential timeline for Pacheco to return from his knee injury.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid was asked coming out of the team’s Week 10 bye whether Pacheco would practice ahead of their Week 11 game against the Broncos. He was noncommittal about the running back’s status.
“I’ll have to see on Pacheco,” Reid told reporters.
Pacheco missed Wednesday’s practice, casting doubt on his availability to suit up against the Broncos.
That said, Pacheco’s absence isn’t expected to be long-term. CBS Sports sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson noted ahead of the Chiefs-Bills game that Reid told her Pacheco “avoided serious injury and should be back after the bye.”
It isn’t clear whether Pacheco has since suffered a setback or if the Chiefs are simply approaching their lead back’s return with caution.
Chiefs RB depth chart
Pacheco is one of four running backs currently on the Chiefs’ 53-man roster. Below is a look at the pecking order within the group based on the snap shares they have received thus far in 2025.
Isiah Pacheco (injured)Kareem HuntBrashard SmithElijah Mitchell
Hunt got a bulk of the workload for the Chiefs during Pacheco’s Week 9 absence. The 30-year-old played 78.9% of the team’s offensive snaps and handled 12 total touches in Kansas City’s loss to Buffalo.
Smith, a seventh-round rookie, has operated largely as a change-of-pace and receiving back this season. He will continue to have a larger role on third downs if Pacheco remains out of the lineup, though he logged just three total touches and no catches against the Bills.
Though Mitchell is on the Chiefs’ 53-man roster, he hasn’t yet dressed for a game this season. Kansas City elevated veteran Clyde Edwards-Helaire from its practice squad to serve as the team’s third-string back over Mitchell in Week 9.
It isn’t clear whether that arrangement will continue, but whoever serves as the third stringer in the event Pacheco is again absent will not see much action on offense. Edwards-Helaire played just two offensive snaps against the Bills.
The Chiefs also have Carson Steele, who had 183 yards on 56 carries for the team as an undrafted rookie last season, on their practice squad along with Edwards-Helaire.