In his first game back after a 2 game absence with a shoulder injury, Pacheco left the game on Christmas against the Riaders after suffering a concussion. There was doubt earlier in the week about Pacheco being able to clear protocol on a short week, but those fears were laid to rest by the Chiefs on Saturday when they announced that Pacheco will play on Sunday when they face the Bengals.

Pacheco is having a great season, still scoring as the RB19 with 805 yards and 8 touchdowns on 187 rush attempts, despite missing 2.5 games due to injury. The Chiefs are in desperate need of playmakers with a banged up running back room, and Pacheco returning is exactly what this Chiefs team need. Pacheco is a smash play this week going up against one of the league’s worst run defenses, giving up 127.3 yards per game on the ground on average. Expect Pacheco to finish this week as an RB1.