Must-Have Players: Aaron Jones & Isiah Pacheco (2023 Fantasy Football)

Regardless of which running back draft strategy you go with, running backs are essential to any competitive fantasy football lineup. Fantasy analysts praise value as the key but give me fantasy production despite where the running back is selected all day.

There are always certain players you target. Whether it is a player you like to watch or he won a fantasy title one season.

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Must-Have Running Backs (2023 Fantasy Football)

Check out which running backs I must have to win in 2023.

Aaron Jones (RB – GB)

7 days until training camp. Here are all 7 of Aaron Jones' touchdowns in 2022. pic.twitter.com/fyojxuaOcX

— Pack Daddy | Packernet Podcast (@Pack_Daddy) July 19, 2023

The changing of the guard behind center finally happened in Green Bay. Rodgers is now a New York Jet, and Jordan Love takes over as quarterback for the Packers. The Packers will have a new offensive approach in 2023. Rodgers loved to pass the ball and take control of the offense, especially in the red zone. However, now we will see the type of offense Mike LaFluer preached he wanted-focusing on running plays and controlling the clock. Force defenses to stack the box for the dominant running back tandem Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon so that Love can throw deep to Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs.

The Packers will want to take the heat off of the unproven Love. The best way to do that is to have a dominant rushing offense with this dynamic duo. Aaron Jones is the lightning to the thunder of AJ Dillon. Jones rushed for 1,121 yards last season, eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark in three of the previous four seasons. Jones has produced 50+ receptions in consecutive seasons and over 40 in four straight seasons. Jones only produced seven total touchdowns last season, but he is invaluable to the Packers’ offense. He is a playmaker who produced 3.28 yards per touch, finishing 10th among all running backs.

Although he shares carries with Dillon, Jones is currently being drafted as the RB17, selling Jones short. Last season, Jones finished as the RB9, primarily due to his pass-catching ability. There are concerns that Love will dump the ball off to his backs as often as Rodgers did, but LaFluer is taking the ball out of the hands of Jones. In addition, the Packers will emphasize the run this season. In 2022, the Packers produced a 44.7/55.3 run/pass ratio. Look for those numbers to switch and for Jones to remain an RB1 for fantasy football managers.

Isiah Pacheco (RB – KC)

Who is ready for year 2 of Isiah Pacheco? pic.twitter.com/oWzeBxXKUH

— Brad Henson Productions (@BradHensonPro) June 27, 2023

Many league winners took the chance on the Kansas City Chiefs’ seventh-round running back, Isiah Pacheco. The rookie broke out, leading the Chiefe with 830 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He also produced 262 scrimmage yards and one score in the Chiefs’ three postseason wins. If those stats were not impressive enough, Pacheco delivered those stats with a torn labrum and a broken hand he played through most of last season. He is still recovering from the surgeries, but Pacheco worked out with the quarterbacks and the rookies this week and said recently that he would be ready for the season opener.

Pacheco enters this season atop the Chiefs’ running back depth chart and gearing up to build upon his RB17 finish from Week 10 until the end of the season. The former Scarlet Knight will still be partnered with Jerrick McKinnon in the Chiefs backfield. McKinnon fits in ideally with the Chiefs passing offense and is highly effective as a receiver out of the backfield. However, Pacheco is their primary back on rushing plays and will continue to provide the fire that the offense sometimes needs to ignite.

Pacheco is an ideal RB2, regardless of your running back strategy or roster build. He proved to be a weapon in the red zone and had short yardage, and with an increase in touches in those play scripts, we could easily see Pacheco threaten RB1 territory.