Kareem Hunt had a small window of his career where he was an elite running back in fantasy football. However, off-the-field issues cost him a spot on his original team, the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, Hunt finds himself on the Cleveland Browns, playing as a second running back. Still, he is skilled enough to where fantasy team managers should target him in every draft this season.
Kareem Hunt is Going to Outperform His Fantasy Football ADP
Top Five Potential
During Hunt’s first NFL season, he came into the league with a bang. In fact, week one he finished with an insane 43.1 points in half-PPR. On the season he was the RB4 in half-PPR leagues with 15.1 fantasy points-per-game (PPG). Hunt showed he was as versatile as they come, compiling over 1,700 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns.
During his sophomore season, he seemed to pick up right where he left off. Up to week 11, Hunt was the RB4 in half-PPR leagues, and averaged the sixth-most fantasy PPG. But things went awry after that. A video surfaced of Hunt kicking a woman, and he was subsequently released from the Chiefs. Soon after, he was signed by the Cleveland Browns, but his 2018 season was in the books.
Showed What His Role Can Be in Cleveland
Many wondered what Hunt’s role would be in Cleveland. After all, Nick Chubb looked like a top ten back himself during most of his rookie season. Chubb started the year behind Carlos Hyde but secured that starting role after Hyde was shipped to the Jacksonville Jaguars after week six. From week seven and on, Chubb was the RB7 and averaged over 15 PPG.
Since Hunt was suspended the first eight games of the year in 2019, Chubb at least started off without competition. He averaged the fifth-most fantasy PPG his first eight games. Though he had an overall good look at his season because of his great start, his season split is jarring. He fell to 21st in terms of points-per-game from week 10 onward.
Now, it is worth noting that Hunt was still well-behind Chubb. His 10.4 PPG was good for 28th overall during that same span. But consider that Chubb was a first-round pick in most leagues, whereas Hunt was a late-round flier, and it shows that Hunt has a lot more value than Chubb. And coming in 2020, this is the role that fantasy team managers should expect from both players.
Kareem Hunt ADP and Value
Looking at ADP for 2020, it doesn’t look like Chubb’s split between when Hunt came back was taken into account enough. Though he has dropped in rankings, FantasyPros still has him as the RB10. He is still a young, healthy back with plenty of upside. And though he is not projected to do as well as Josh Jacobs, Miles Sanders, or Joe Mixon, he carries less risk than guys like Todd Gurley and Leonard Fournette.
That being said, he probably isn’t someone to target, but he isn’t a terrible pick.
Hunt, on the other hand, is definitely a back that team managers should be circling on their draft boards. He seems to be ranked well under his floor, as the RB25 according to FantasyPros. Again, he averaged the 21st most PPG last season, so this would mean his role decreases compared to last year, which is unlikely. He already offers FLEX appeal playing behind Chubb. However, if for whatever reason Chubb was to go down, he instantly becomes a top-five back. Very few runners offer that type of upside.
In addition, Hunt is sandwiched right in-between guys who either have roles that are projected to fade. Mark Ingram and Devin Singletary might lose work to rookies. And there are other young backs who are only hoping they get to see the field enough to make a fantasy impact like D’Andre Swift and Cam Akers. Hunt is not only the safer pick here, but also offers the highest ceiling.
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