FANTASY FOOTBALL NEWS

Chiefs Use Three RBs In Week 1

By Jared Smola | Updated on Sat, Sep 6 2025 3:55 AM UTC

RB Isiah Pacheco led a three-man committee backfield in Friday night's loss to the Chargers. Here's how the work was split:

Pacheco: 51% snap rate, 45% route rate, 5 carries, 3 targets
Kareem Hunt: 38% snap rate, 36% route rate, 5 carries, 3 targets
Brashard Smith: 13% snap rate, 13% route rate, 0 carries, 0 targets

There were relatively defined roles for all three backs. Pacheco played the majority of the early downs, Hunt handled most third downs and short-yardage situations, and Smith was used almost exclusively on called pass plays.

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

Three-man committees are rarely fruitful in fantasy football. Smith's role was minimal in the opener, but it's notable that the seventh-round rookie played at all. His role, particularly in the passing game, could certainly grow going forward.

Pacheco remains the top back in Kansas City. He looked spry on his limited touches against the Chargers, taking his five carries for 25 yards.

But it'll be tough for him to crack the top-20 RBs in fantasy points on just half of the offensive snaps. We'll continue to keep tabs on this backfield going forward, but consider Pacheco a fringe RB2/3 for now.

Neither Hunt nor Smith have standalone value.

Jared Smola, Lead Analyst

Jared has been with Draft Sharks since 2007. He’s now Lead Analyst, heading up the preseason and weekly projections that fuel your Draft War Room and in-season tools. He currently ranks ninth among 173 analysts in draft rankings accuracy.