Lions backup RB Isiah Pacheco will now miss at least the first 4 games of the regular season with a back injury. GM Brad Holmes was asked if we would see Pacheco back on the field at some point this season and his response was, “That’s the hope.” Year 2 RB Jacob Saylors will take over backup responsibilities in the meantime, but this backfield belongs fully to superstar RB Jahmyr Gibbs.
After trading RB David Montgomery to the Texans early this offseason, backup RB could now be a weakness for Detroit. The Lions signed Pacheco, PlayerProfiler’s RB60, to a cheap 1 year contract and now they will have to rely on Jacob Saylors as the backup. Saylors had an impressive 17 carry-1oo yard game in the 2026 preseason finale against the Colts and may be worth an add in deep leagues with Pacheco’s return status up in the air. Gibbs will see the lions share of the touches and he’s poised to have a monster season.
~Justin Teck
Across his first two games of 2026, Detroit Lions running ...
Detroit Lions running back Sione Vaki emerged as his team's...
Detroit Lions running back Sione Vaki (leg) left practice ...
Isiah Pacheco is now dealing with a back injury on top of his MCL sprain, with Dan Campbell unable to give a definitive answer on the running back’s Week 1 status. Campbell downplayed the MCL issue, but the combination of injuries is enough to put Pacheco’s availability and early season workload under serious scrutiny.
Pacheco owns a 90th-percentile Burst Score and 92nd-percentile College Dominator Rating on PlayerProfiler, but athletic metrics do not matter if he cannot get on the field. Pacheco is a draft fade until the injury picture clears, and Detroit’s workout of Kareem Hunt is a reminder that the Lions are not treating the backfield situation as settled.
Vaki spent most of his time at the Safety position for the Utah Utes in college. Last year, he was asked to step in as an emergency Running Back and showed natural instincts for hitting rushing lanes with speed, as well as spectacular hands and receiving acumen. This short stint impressed Brad Holmes and the Lions brass enough to trade multiple picks for the opportunity to select Vaki as a Running Back in the 4th round of the 2024 draft.
While he’s still learning the position, Vaki brings a competitive nature and explosiveness that makes his offensive upside intriguing. Early reports from Lions beat writers believe he has a strong chance to edge out Craig Reynolds for the primary backup role behind Montgomery and Gibbs.
For Fantasy Managers, it’s important to monitor these reports, but not overreact. It’s best to keep Vaki on waivers for now, as it would still take an injury from either starter in front of him to launch Vaki into any sort of fantasy relevance. Furthermore, Vaki should be viewed more as a handcuff to Gibbs’ receiving and change of pace duties within the offense, rather than as a potential bell cow. While Gibbs has the special ability/efficiency to turn this role into a highly productive fantasy asset, the same can’t be said for everyone who would step up to fill in for him.
