It isn’t very often that the No. 2 guy in 2-back system makes a trade demand, but that’s exactly what Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt did recently — a request quickly denied by the Browns front office.
Below, we look at Kareem Hunt‘s 2022 fantasy football average draft position and where you should draft him.
Hunt may never relive his rookie season when he led the NFL in rushing with 1,327 yards while playing in Kansas City. However, in the mold of great tandems like Warrick Dunn and Mike Alstott, the Browns have found a way to solidify roles for Hunt and Nick Chubb so that neither is a handcuff to the other. They can coexist in the same backfield and each put up good numbers.
Kareem Hunt’s ADP: 92.20
(ADP data courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com)
Hunt is in the position where you find the lowest rated starters and the highest rated No. 2 guys. His ADP at 92.20 is barely behind a pair of 2021 starters — Cordarrelle Patterson (Atlanta Falcons) at 90.29 and Rashaad Penny (Seattle Seahawks) at 90.44 — and barely ahead of Chase Edmonds (Miami Dolphins) at 93.47.
Hunt is a role player who averages 12-15 touches a game — many more than the average No. 2 guy or change-of-pace back. It’s what he does with those touches that make him a dangerous home run hitter out of the backfield capable of taking any play to the house when he gets in the open field.
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Kareem Hunt’s 2021 stats
Games: 8
Carries | rushing yards: 78 | 386
Rushing touchdowns: 5
Receptions | receiving yards: 22 | 174
Receiving touchdowns: 0
Where should you draft Hunt?
There are a couple of things going against Hunt. He is “in the system” with the NFL due to previous suspensions and, as such, if he does anything that gets him back in the NFL’s bad graces, he would be subject to a longer suspension.
The other issue is that he is disgruntled and wants to get paid. The Browns have clearly told him no and he sees the handwriting on the wall that this may be his last year in Cleveland much like Baker Mayfield did last year.
But that isn’t always a bad thing. A player looking to get a new contract is motivated to show the other 31 teams what he can do and Hunt has the ability to make a difference. Even though he is ranked behind the last of the presumptive starters, while I wouldn’t lower his ADP that much, I would take him before either Patterson or Penny.
Although his sensational rookie numbers are out of reach, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if he replicated his 2020 numbers (his only full season in Cleveland) when he rushed 198 times for 841 yards, caught 38 passes for 304 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. Those aren’t handcuff numbers. In larger leagues, you could see fantasy owners play both Chubb and Hunt in the same game.
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