Maybe We Can't Quit Isiah Pacheco Just Yet After All

2026 Fantasy Football Impact

Honestly, I hit this offseason wondering if it would be time to just forget about Pacheco altogether. But a quick deal for him with one of the league's most perennially intriguing offenses means we need to pay attention.

That said, it's important to be specific about the available role.

Which Monty Does He Replace?

The easy reaction here is to label Pacheco the "David Montgomery replacement" for the Lions. But the departed RB saw his role vary before his trade to Houston.

Detroit went from signing Montgomery at $6 million a year ahead of 2023 -- the same offseason in which the team drafted Jahmyr Gibbs in Round 1 -- to extending Monty at $9 million a year in mid-2024, to trading him for two Day 3 picks and an O-lineman this offseason.

Before that move, we saw Montgomery's work decrease. He went from 15.6 carries per game in his first Lions campaign to 13.2 in 2024 and then 9.3 last year. And even that final number got worse with a mid-season play-calling change.

HC Dan Campbell took over play-calling ahead of the Week 10 win over Washington. Montgomery carried 15 times in that lopsided affair, his second-largest tally of the year. But then he managed just 6.8 rushes per contest over the remaining eight games.

The full nine-game Campbell sample found Montgomery ranking just 54th among RBs in expected PPR points per game. And it's fair to assume that even the Lions likely consider Pacheco to be at least a slight downgrade from Montgomery.

So ... Should we Forget About Him?

The message here: Make sure that you don't simply look at the overall Detroit production for Montgomery and assume that Pacheco's stepping into a sleeper role.

He arrives as the clear No. 2 in a Gibbs-powered backfield. And it wouldn't be surprising if the Lions add another RB in the draft (or perhaps later in free agency).

The upside for Pacheco here comes in his handcuff role. Should Gibbs go down -- and no one else pass him on the depth chart this summer -- Pacheco would absorb significant work in an offense that has finished four straight seasons among the top 5 in both scoring and yardage.

So give him a look late in drafts. But avoid the former Chief if drafters start pushing him inside the position's top 40.

Other Winners & Losers

Gibbs didn't need the boost, but it's at least a slight win that Detroit pounced on a player like this for the No. 2 role. It signals that the Lions will almost certainly continue his expanded role, which makes the fourth-year back a candidate to lead the position in scoring across fantasy formats.