Sunday’s 3 Biggest Surprises: Isiah Pacheco, Zach Wilson, Cincinnati Bengals’ Offense

Week 4 of the NFL season hasn’t disappointed, with a number of tight games and exciting finishes. There were a number of great fantasy performances that propelled owners to wins, while some lackluster showings had others puzzled and on the wrong side of their matchups.

A couple of my biggest surprises from Sunday’s games came in the day’s final game between the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets, with Isiah Pacheco and Zach Wilson standing out. My other big surprise was yet another uninspiring performance from the Cincinnati Bengals offense.

Let’s dive into all three things and what those performances mean going forward.

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Isiah Pacheco Becoming a Workhorse Back

When you think of the Chiefs, your first thought goes to quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The running game is a secondary thought, but it was Pacheco that really guided the team to a win over the Jets.

Pacheco finished the night with 23 touches and 158 total yards of offense. He rushed for 115 yards on 20 carries, including a 48-yard touchdown, while catching all three of his targets for the other 43 yards.

Pacheco accomplished those numbers while playing about 60% of the team’s offensive snaps. He carried the ball 13 more times than any other Kansas City player, and had 17 more carries than any of the team’s running backs.

It’s not often that a KC running back is going to steal some of the headlines away from Mahomes or Travis Kelce, but that’s exactly what Pacheco did. The second-year back has been trending upward since an average showing back in week 1.

Pacheco had a 54-yard performance on 12 touches in the opener before going for 70 yards on 13 touches in week 2. Pacheco scored in week 3 while also recording 78 total yards on 17 touches.

I don’t think Pacheco will continue to see an increase in touches with every game he plays this season, but he’s produced enough in the opening month to where he’s the undoubted No. 1 guy now. If he can continue to get 15-20 touches a week, his start percentage will continue to rise closer and closer to 100%. 

The rest of the month, the Chiefs will be going up against the Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers and Broncos again. Going into week 4, only Minnesota ranked in the top half of the league when it came to slowing opposing running backs. Denver was the worst team, while Los Angeles was in the bottom half of the league.

Given how Pacheco has played so far, I’d be putting Pacheco into my lineup for all of those matchups.

Zach Wilson Looks Pretty Solid

Wilson was thrust into the starting role for the Jets after Aaron Rodgers went down with an injury in week 1. Wilson had struggled mightily through week 3, but looked pretty solid against the Chiefs, who had been one of the top defenses against opposing quarterbacks going into the week.

Wilson completed 28 passes, which was two more than in weeks 2 and 3 combined, while only tossing 11 incompletions. He didn’t throw an interception for the second straight week. Wilson also threw two touchdowns, matching his total from the first three weeks combined. Wilson topped 200 passing yards (245) for the first time. 

Unfortunately for the young quarterback, a fumble late in the game is all most people will remember from the overall solid performance. Even though it resulted in a loss, the Jets have to feel a bit better about their chances to potentially reach the playoffs behind Wilson. 

As for fantasy purposes, one solid game probably isn’t going to shift many people’s opinions on Wilson. He was owned in just 10% of leagues and started in 2% last week.

The Jets have just three games remaining this month, with matchups against the Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. Coming into week 4, the Broncos were the second worst defense in terms of fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks. The Eagles are sixth worst and the Giants are also in the bottom half of the league at 13th worst. 

So on paper, those are all favorable matchups for Wilson. I’m not saying you should be starting him every week, I’m just stating that Wilson might have some of the better matchups among the quarterbacks available if you need to stream a starter.

The Bengals’ Offense is Struggling

Cincinnati has not looked like a team that just came off playing in the AFC Championship Game. The Bengals’ offense, which many considered one of the top units in the NFL coming into the season, have topped 300 total yards in just one contest so far.

Many people, including myself, figured the 300+ yard showing against the Los Angeles Rams in week 3 would be the team’s turning point. It was not.

Cincinnati managed just 211 total yards in a 27-3 setback to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. 

Quarterback Joe Burrow, who didn’t have an injury designation for the contest, completed 20-of-30 passes for just 165 yards. He didn’t throw a touchdown pass for the third game this season. No injury designation doesn't mean Burrow isn't still dealing with his calf issue, but you expected him to play better thinking it wasn't much of any issue anymore. 

Running back Joe Mixon was solid, with 67 yards on 14 carries, but the flow of the game kept him from really doing anything special. He’s up to just 247 yards and a touchdown through four games. If the team continues to fall behind, Mixon will continue to be limited with his touches.

Ja’Marr Chase was the only wide receiver on the team with over 30 receiving yards, catching seven of his nine targets for just 73 yards. Even with back-to-back solid showings, Chase has only 284 receiving yards on 29 catches, and he still hasn’t scored.

Wideout Tyler Boyd tallied four receptions on seven targets for 26 yards, while Tee Higgins had only 19 receiving yards on two grabs and four targets. Boyd has only 127 yards on 17 receptions this season. Higgins is at 129 yards on 12 catches, with his two touchdown grabs coming in the same game. Coming into the season, both guys were starting wideouts for most fantasy owners.

With each passing week, you expect the Bengals’ offense to return to greatness, but it simply hasn’t happened yet. It’s gotten to the point where the team’s usual fantasy starters (Burrow, Mixon, Chase, Boyd, Higgins) can’t be trusted.

Cincy plays three more times in October, with games against the Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.

Against opposing quarterbacks, Arizona and Seattle’s defenses were in the bottom 10 spots in the league heading into week 4, while San Fran was one of the best. All three of those defenses were in the bottom half of the NFL against opposing running backs. Seattle was the second worst against opposing receivers, while Arizona and San Francisco were average.

Chase has done enough to last two weeks to continue starting him, but I’m not sold on Burrow, Mixon, Boyd or Higgins and would probably play other players on my fantasy roster if their matchups are better. It's weird to say that given their history, but I simply do not trust them right now.