Kareem Hunt

Week 2 vs. Texans

Hunt was limited to only six carries for 33 yards and a touchdown while catching all three of his targets for 28 yards, finishing as the RB13 in half-PPR formats for the week. While his fantasy production was salvaged by the touchdown, the good news is that he played 47.46% of the snaps, so it's clear that he has a role in this backfield. Playing in a run-heavy offense that should score a lot of points, Hunt still has upside FLEX appeal on a weekly basis.

He's in a great spot against the Texans here, who are one of the worst defenses in the NFL. James Robinson and Carlos Hyde combined for 69 yards on 14 carries (4.93 YPC), but the negative game script forced the Jaguars to air it out and play catch-up. Hunt should see a larger role than usual if the Browns are able to take a double-digit lead in this game. He has RB2 appeal in this smash spot.

Fantasy Upside

Kareem Hunt rushed for 841 yards and six touchdowns on 198 carries (4.2 YPC). He also caught 38-of-51 targets for 304 yards and five touchdowns, finishing as RB18 in half-PPR points per game. The Browns should continue to be a run-heavy offense, so Hunt will still have opportunities to provide low-end RB2/high-end RB3 value, even with Chubb acting as the lead back. The upside for Hunt is high because if Chubb were forced to miss time due to injury, he would immediately vault into the Top-10. While Hunt isn’t as efficient of a runner, his higher passing game volume gives him a high ceiling. The Browns should be able to rack up points at a high rate, so the touchdown opportunities will be there for Hunt. They project as one of the best teams in football, so there will likely be several positive game scripts as well.

Fantasy Downside

It’s clear that Chubb is the best back on the team, which adds risk to Hunt because if the Browns opt to pass more like they did down the stretch last season, that could mean fewer opportunities for Hunt. Hunt needs the Browns to remain as one of the most run-heavy offenses in the NFL, or else he just becomes a better version of Baltimore’s Gus Edwards. Hunt only averaged nine touches per game in the postseason, so there’s a risk that the Browns started to shift their philosophy towards a more Chubb-centric backfield. This really demonstrates Hunt’s low floor, as he had seven games with fewer than 70 total yards (including postseason).

2021 Bottom Line
Hunt is a talented back in an elite offense, but the fact remains that he’s the clear-cut RB2 on this team. This makes him a risky pick at RB25 (69.7 ADP) in Underdog fantasy leagues. Hunt. At the same time, if you decide to go WR-heavy in the early rounds, Hunt makes for an ideal RB2 because he’s the rare back who has a high ceiling with standalone value as his team’s backup RB. Hunt should be able to provide Top-30 value at his position with the upside for more, but you will just have to deal with a low weekly floor.

Week 16 at New York Jets
Kareem Hunt is a difficult fantasy projection of late. He has only received 13 carries over the last two weeks but continues to see targets in the passing game and even some goal lines touches over bruiser teammate Nick Chubb. There should be plenty of volume for both Chubb and Hunt this week with the Browns being favored by a full touchdown on the road against the pathetic Jets. Hunt's fantasy viability depends on him being efficient with his touches, something he should be able to do this week given the matchup. Hunt projects as a solid RB3 with upside in Week 16, especially in PPR formats.