One of the key players for Cleveland in this upcoming game will be running back Kareem Hunt. Look out Fantasy tips in this article.
Kareem Hunt : Stats | Fantasy | Rushing yards | Trade
Kareem AJ Hunt is an American football running back for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL).
Personal information | |
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Born: | August 6, 1995 Lorain, Ohio |
Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
Weight: | 216 lb (98 kg) |
Career information | |
High school: | South (Willoughby, Ohio) |
College: | Toledo (2013–2016) |
NFL Draft: | 2017 / Round: 3 / Pick: 86 |
He played college football at Toledo and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
As a rookie in 2017, he led the NFL in rushing yards and was selected to the Pro Bowl.
As a freshman at Toledo in 2013, Hunt played in 12 games with three starts and rushed for 866 yards on 137 carries with six touchdowns.
He had a strong four-game stretch in the season with 127 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Navy, 114 rushing yards and a touchdown against Bowling Green, 168 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns against Eastern Michigan, and 186 rushing yards and a touchdown against Buffalo.
Stats
Hunt was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round (86th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft. He was the sixth running back to be selected in the draft.
In addition, he was the first of three Toledo Rockets to be selected that year.
Career NFL statistics as of Week 1, 2022 | |||||||||||||
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Hunt made his NFL debut on September 7, 2017, against the New England Patriots. On his first career NFL carry, despite never losing a fumble during his college career, Hunt fumbled, with the ball being recovered by the Patriots’ safety Devin McCourty.
Hunt went on to catch two touchdown passes – a three-yarder from quarterback Alex Smith late in the first half, and a 78-yarder in the fourth quarter, and punched in a four-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth en route to a 42–27 Chiefs win.
Hunt entered the 2021 season as the backup to Nick Chubb. He suffered a calf injury in Week 6 and was placed on injured reserve on October 19, 2021. He was activated on November 27.
On August 7, 2022, Hunt requested a trade from the Browns however the team declined his trade request.
Hunt is in the last year of a two-year deal and he is set to make $6.25 million in the 2022 season. Hunt will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
Kareem Hunt Fantasy
The Cleveland Browns head into a divisional showdown in Week 3 against the Pittsburgh Steelers looking to regroup after a disappointing Week 2 loss. One of the key players for Cleveland in this game will be running back Kareem Hunt.
Hunt saw 15 touches in each of Cleveland’s games so far, with six of the 30 total touches being receptions.
That helps him in PPR formats. Hunt got into the end zone twice in Week 1 but failed to find pay dirt in Week 2. We can chalk that up to touchdown variance and the presence of Nick Chubb as the lead running back.
Even with Chubb in the backfield, the Browns are committed to using Hunt and giving him opportunities.
The volume so far is enough to justify using Hunt as a flex play in Week 3.
For the Browns to do that, Kevin Stefanski’s highly touted running backs need to once again be at their best.
With that said, Browns running back Kareem Hunt is one of the major sleepers fantasy football managers should consider for Week 3.
Kareem Hunt rushing yards
Hunt finished with 148 rushing yards, 98 receiving yards and three total touchdowns—two of which came through the air.
Right guard Jack Conklin is expected to make his season debut tonight after missing the Browns’ first two games due to a knee injury. That’s very good news for Kareem Hunt.
Prop | Over 43.5 Rushing Yards |
Matchup | Steelers vs. Browns |
Day, Time | Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET |
Best Book | FanDuel |
Hunt loves running to the right behind two of the best run blockers in the NFL: Conklin and Wyatt Teller. Last season in Weeks 1-5, when both Conklin and Hunt were healthy, Hunt averaged 5.7 yards on 37 carries to the right and just 4.6 on 18 totes to the left.
This season, in two games, that difference is even bigger. Hunt’s at 2.7 yards per carry on 13 rushes to the left so far this season and 6.3 on 11 carries to the right.
I expect the Browns to get Hunt going on the right side now that Conklin is back, which should greatly improve his efficiency.
The matchup is also made easier due to the fact that T.J. Watt is on the injured reserve. The Steelers held the Bengals backfield to just 3.1 yards per carry in Week 1, but New England’s backs averaged 4.9 with Watt out.
Cleveland should have a run-heavy game script here. It’s a short week and the forecast is calling for 20 mph winds throughout the game.
If the Browns can run the ball efficiently, they should dominate time of possession. That should lead to more plays and more rushing attempts, which makes me feel even better about Hunt’s over here.
I project this number to be closer to 48.
Trade
The Cleveland Browns have arguably the league’s best running back tandem in Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. However, one of the two isn’t particularly happy with his contract situation.
Hunt, who is entering the final season of a two-year, $12 million deal, is looking for an extension. He has requested a trade and spent the early portions of training camp holding out of team drills, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
“If they don’t ante up, he wants out—but they have no plans of trading him,” Cabot added.
The good news for Browns fans is that Hunt returned to team drills Sunday. While he presumably still wants a new contract—in Cleveland or elsewhere—he doesn’t appear likely to hold out into the regular season.
That means the Browns can use Hunt early and often in 2022. However, they should still keep an open mind when it comes to dealing him between now and the Nov. 1 trade deadline.
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