Isiah Pacheco injury update: Is Chiefs RB playing this week vs Panthers?

The Kansas City Chiefs were dealt a blow to their running game when the team's three-down workhorse, Isiah Pacheco, suffered an early-season leg injury.

Pacheco was hurt at the end of the Chiefs' Week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. He was sandwiched by a few Bengals defenders on a late-game run, and his leg bent awkwardly underneath him.

Pacheco was later diagnosed with a fractured fibula and placed on IR because of the injury. The leg malady wasn't expected to keep him out for the entire season, but it did sideline him long-term.

Now, Pacheco appears to be close to returning. The only question is whether the Chiefs will look to ease him back into action or if the veteran back will be ready to handle a full workload upon his return.

Here's what to know about Pacheco's injury and his timeline to return.

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Isiah Pacheco injury update

Chiefs coach Andy Reid told reporters on Wednesday, Nov. 20, that the team was taking things "day-by-day" with Pacheco ahead of the team's Week 12 game against the Carolina Panthers.

Reid provided a positive update about the running back's status during that same media availability.

“He’s a spark plug, emotionally. He’s something that way, and he’s worked his tail off to get to the point he’s at now," Reid said. "We’ve got to keep an eye on him that way. He would’ve played three weeks ago if he had his choice, but that’s sometimes how it goes. I appreciate that mentality. That’s what’s helped him get to this point."

With that in mind, it sounds like Pacheco will soon be ready to play. It seems like the Chiefs were just being cautious with the third-year back, who was originally expected to miss 6-8 weeks because of the injury but has now missed 9.

Part of the reason for his extended absence is that the Chiefs were winning games without him as Kareem Hunt re-emerged as a capable backfield leader. As such, they could afford to be patient with Pacheco.

Given that Kansas City designated Pacheco to return from IR and opened his 21-day practice window ahead of Week 11, they believe he will return soon. They are just trying to pick the right spot to play him.

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Is Isiah Pacheco playing this week?

Reid would not commit to playing Pacheco in Week 12 against the Panthers. He said "we'll see" when asked if either Pacheco or defensive end Charles Omenihu would return to the team for that contest.

"[We'll] kind of go through the practice [and] see where we’re at this week and go from there," Reid explained. "We’ll just have to say, a day-by-day-type thing."

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport originally reported that Pacheco was expected to return in Week 12. However, he noted that Kansas City's "Black Friday" game against the Las Vegas Raiders could sway the team to sit Pacheco for one more week to ensure the 25-year-old doesn't overwork himself with two games in five days.

Even so, Pacheco appears healthy enough to play in Week 12, which is good news for his fantasy owners. However, there isn't a guarantee that he will return to the field to face the Panthers, with a more important divisional clash with the Las Vegas Raiders looming.

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Isiah Pacheco return timeline

Pacheco's 21-day practice window gives NFL fans a good idea of his earliest and latest potential returns to the Chiefs' active roster. It was opened on Tuesday, Nov. 12, five days ahead of Kansas City's Week 11 clash with the Buffalo Bills, and will close on Dec. 3.

The earliest Pacheco could have returned to action for the Chiefs was ahead of Week 11. He didn't meet that deadline, so the earliest he can play is Week 12.

The latest Pacheco can return to the 53-man roster is on Dec. 4, a couple of days after Week 14 ends. The Chiefs seem likely to activate him before that point, but if they keep him sidelined for whatever reason, fantasy owners will want to keep a close eye on the lower-end deadline date.

Either way, Pacheco won't be out much longer. He should be back as Kansas City aims to make history and win a third consecutive Super Bowl.

Isiah Pacheco fantasy outlook vs. Kareem Hunt fantasy outlook

It appears that the Chiefs are planning to divvy up their workload between Pacheco and Hunt upon the former's return, as Reid outlined Wednesday.

"Both of them are good players, so we'll find a way to get both of them in," Reid said. "But you know, that's a good problem to have."

It isn't clear exactly what type of split Reid envisions for the duo. If it's a true 50-50 split, Hunt and Pacheco will be solid RB2 plays in quality matchups and high-end flex plays in the more difficult ones. If Reid rides the hot hand, the two could be volatile for fantasy football managers.

It doesn't look like Pacheco or Hunt will be RB1s any longer. It would take another injury or a massive performance drop-off to give either the volume needed to re-emerge as a plug-and-play top-10 back.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When will Isiah Pacheco return? Latest updates on Chiefs RB's status