Isaiah Pacheco Injury Opens Door for Kareem Hunt & Brashard Smith! Week 9 Waiver Wire Update! (10/28 Fantasy Football Podcast)

Summary

Fantasy Football Today – October 28, 2025

Episode Theme:
Isaiah Pacheco Injury Opens Door for Kareem Hunt & Brashard Smith! Week 9 Waiver Wire Update!

The main focus of this episode is the breaking news of Isaiah Pacheco’s knee injury, how it shakes up the running back landscape, and what fantasy managers should do on the waiver wire—especially with the Chiefs' upcoming schedule. The hosts, led by Adam Aizer with analysts Dave Richard and Jamey Eisenberg, discuss the impact on Kareem Hunt, Brashard Smith, and other running back pickups for Week 9 as managers look to maximize their rosters.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Impact of Isaiah Pacheco's Injury

• Pacheco is considered week-to-week with a knee injury. This news broke during the recording, prompting immediate reactions and strategy adjustments for listeners.
• The Chiefs face the Bills (27th vs. RBs) in Week 9 (“they just lost Ed Oliver for a long time with a biceps injury”) before a Week 10 bye, suggesting the waiver pickups might have a short but potentially high-impact window (01:50–02:13).

2. Kareem Hunt: Top Waiver Wire Priority if Available

• Kareem Hunt (74% rostered) is the clear top recommendation:

  “If he’s out there, you got to go get him.”
  – Fantasy Football Analyst 2 (02:51)

• Hunt’s recent production highlighted, especially exploiting goal-line opportunities:

  “You’ve already seen him take advantage of these 1 yard goal line touchdowns and whatnot.”
  – Analyst 1 (03:30)

• Historical context:
  Hunt averaged 14.8 PPR fantasy points per game in eight games without Pacheco last year; however, usage dipped after an initial four-game burst of 20+ carries, suggesting managers should be wary of workload sustainability (03:00–03:30).
• The improved Chiefs offense in 2025 is mentioned as a reason for optimism this year.

3. Brashard Smith and Other Waiver Considerations

• Brashard Smith emerges as a high-upside, lower-priority add:

  “Smith to me is the wild card because they’ve been trying to get him going, certainly been involved in the passing game... does Smith now take this chance and maybe runs away with it?”
  – Analyst 2 (04:30)

• Smith's appeal is heightened by Kareem Hunt’s age and potential for a changing workload.
• Waiver Wire Prioritization:
  1. Tyrone Tracy (“Tracy will still be one.” – 03:53)
  2. Kareem Hunt (most valuable if you need an immediate start)
  3. Zonovan Knight (similar short-term value to Hunt this week)
  4. Brashard Smith (valuable flier, especially in PPR or deeper leagues)

4. Chiefs' Week 9 Matchup & Fantasy Strategy

• KC’s opponent—the Bills—“have a really good matchup” for RBs, especially after their defensive injuries.
• However, fantasy managers are cautioned:

  “It could be a one week thing for these guys… Maybe Pacheco is back in week 11.”
  – Fantasy Football Analyst 1 (01:57)

• Takeaway: Waiver claims for Chiefs RBs must be balanced between short-term production and longer-term uncertainty.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Kareem Hunt’s Value:

  “Kareem Hunt was pretty valuable last year for a little while. I have to go look at the numbers, but… without Isaiah Pacheco, last year he averaged 14.8 PPR fantasy points per game.”
  – Analyst 1 (03:00)

• On the Urgency of Adding Hunt:

  “If he’s out there, you got to go get him.”
  – Analyst 2 (02:51)

• On Brashard Smith’s Upside:

  “Smith to me is the wild card… does Smith now take this chance and maybe runs away with it?”
  – Analyst 2 (04:30)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:50] – News of Pacheco’s injury and initial waiver thoughts
• [02:13] – Chiefs’ matchup vs. Bills & timetable speculation
• [02:34] – Waiver wire focus sharpens on Hunt and Smith
• [03:00] – Kareem Hunt's previous production and role overview
• [03:53] – Waiver wire RB ranking and reasoning
• [04:30] – Detailed discussion of Brashard Smith’s upside

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Summary Table: Priority RB Waiver Adds (per Analysts)

| Rank | Running Back | Key Context | |------|--------------------|-----------------------------------------| | 1 | Tyrone Tracy | Best blend of short & long-term appeal | | 2 | Kareem Hunt | Week 9 starter, Chiefs offense boost | | 3 | Zonovan Knight | Comparable short-term upside to Hunt | | 4 | Brashard Smith | High-upside wild card, passing game use |

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Final Thoughts

This urgent episode gives managers immediate, actionable guidance in the wake of a major RB injury. Kareem Hunt is reaffirmed as a must-add in leagues where he’s available, with Brashard Smith flagged as a high-upside stash. The Chiefs' backfield is in flux; waivers should be approached with both short- and long-term needs in mind as Pacheco’s recovery is monitored.

If you miss out on Hunt, don't ignore Smith’s potential—particularly in deeper leagues or PPR formats. And as always, keep your eye on injury reports leading into Week 9 kickoff.

Transcript

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[Fantasy Football Analyst 1]

Hey everyone. During our show today on CBS Sports Network, we learned that Isaiah Pacheco is week to week with a knee injury. So this obviously changes things a little bit for the waiver wire. It's going to make Kareem Hunt more attractive if he's available in your league. And it's going to make Rashard Smith someone that you might want to consider adding. Obviously Hunt would be the priority here. Something to keep in mind is that the Chiefs have a really good matchup against the Bills. They're 27th against running backs. They just lost Ed Oliver for a long time with a biceps injury, but then they have a week 10 buy. Maybe Pacheco is back in week 11. It could be a one week thing for these guys. But anyway, I had a chance to ask Dave And Jamie, how they felt about the situation as we had recently learned about it. And here's what they said.

[Fantasy Football Analyst 2]

Adam, before we get into the the running backs, Isaiah Pacheco is week to week with a knee injury from getting hurt last night, so. Oh, it's Buffalo week for them too. Maybe Looking at Rashard Smith, Kareem Hunt's at 74% rostered. I think you look at him clearly.

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As if he's out there.

[Fantasy Football Analyst 2]

You got to go get him. And then you're looking at Burchard Smith right now. Somebody got to go pick up as well.

[Fantasy Football Analyst 1]

Wow.

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[Fantasy Football Analyst 1]

Okay.

[Fantasy Football Analyst 2]

This ended up being running back segment after all.

[Fantasy Football Analyst 1]

No kidding. I mean, Kareem Hunt was pretty valuable last year for a little while. I have to go look at the numbers, but. All right, we can get into that. Kareem Hunt, eight games without Isaiah Pacheco. Last year he averaged 14.8 PPR fantasy points per game. Now at the beginning of that stretch, he was getting 20 plus carries in four straight games and then they stopped doing that. So he wasn't quite as good. But also the offense is so much better this year than it was last year.

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Right.

[Fantasy Football Analyst 1]

And you've already seen him take advantage of these 1 yard goal line touchdowns and whatnot. So, man, I, I'm thinking through my waivers right now and I remember Kareem Hunt being available in a league. So now, okay, I'm sorry to detour from wide receivers, but if Kareem Hunt, Rashard Smith, Tyrone Tracy, Donovan Knight are available, Jamie, how would you rank those guys?

[Fantasy Football Analyst 2]

Tracy will still be one. Then I think it comes down to do you need to start Zondeman Knight this week or do you looking more long term? And Kareem Hunt could have, you know, again, according to this report, week to week for Pacheco, I probably would lean toward Kareem Hunt. You know, Buffalo's run defense has been very bad. And what you see from Kareem Hunt in a shared situation, he scored two touchdowns last night, nine carries for 40 yards. You know, the little pop passes that we get toward the end zone, you know, they like to use him in that regard as well. So I think there's kind of a very similar path to production for Knight this week. I like him better than Hunt, but very similar path to production. Then you get the long term appeal. So Burchard Smith to me is the wild card because they've been trying to get him going, you know, certainly been involved in the passing game. Kareem hunt's, you know, 30 years old @ this point, you know, does Smith now take this chance and maybe runs away with it? So he's definitely somebody you want to put on your radar as well. So I would still prioritize hunt over Smith, but I do want to get some shares of Smith also.

[John Henson]

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