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The Kansas City Chiefs recently signed running back Kareem Hunt from free agency. Hunt had a solid run with the Chiefs in the past, but that was ages ago in running back years.
Hunt joins running backs Samaje Perine and Carson Steele in the wake of starting back Isiah Pacheco's fractured fibula. Pacheco is set to miss over eight weeks while he recovers, and is on injured reserve. This will leave plenty of time for the Chiefs' backfield situation to settle and work itself out.
Is Kareem Hunt a good waiver wire pickup? Will he be the new starting RB for the Chiefs? Let's dive in.
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Kareem Hunt Week 3 Waiver Wire Outlook
As of today, Hunt is rostered in 15% of leagues. Once upon a time, Hunt was a fantastic fantasy option, putting up 294.2 PPR fantasy points in his rookie year and 230.2 in his second (despite only playing 11 games). He has yet to replicate this level of success, though he did score 216.5 PPR points in his fourth season.
Hunt's last two seasons with the Cleveland Browns have been marked by a steady fall off in efficiency, though his scoring didn't fall off massively as he scored nine touchdowns last year. It's generally alarming to see a running back's yards per carry metric tank as hard as Hunt's did, going from 3.8 to 3.04 YPC from 2022 to 2023.
Kareem Hunt in 2023, out of 49 RBs with 100 Rushing Attempts👇
YPC: 47th (3.04)
MTF: 48th (11)
MTF/ATT: 48th (0.08)
YACO/ATT: 49th (1.85)
BAY %: 46th (1.5%)Bottom 3 in the entire league in most efficiency numbers. Do with that information what you want 😅 pic.twitter.com/PsRTQQ8K9G
— Zach Savage (@zaxavage) September 16, 2024
Simply put, Hunt hasn't been good for a while now. He has the size and durability of a workhorse running back, but will almost certainly not see the volume to be one. Hunt's best days are long behind him, and running backs have a relatively short shelf life in the NFL anyway.
Kareem Hunt is over the hill. These are his metrics from last year. He has 3.4 YPC over the last 2 years with PFF scores of 67 and 68.7. Could he help fill in for someone as part of a committee? Yeah, maybe. Let's not act like it's ridiculous he isn't in the league. pic.twitter.com/cGyp0EaTJE
— Scott F (@TheFrizz87) September 16, 2024
Hunt is likely a depth piece for the Chiefs, and injury insurance in case new starting RB Steele has injury issues. Steele should be the starter with Perine taking away some work on third downs and obvious passing downs, owing to his pass-catching ability and excellent pass protection.
Depth pieces are common in the NFL and are usually the role that veterans who have already fallen off end up taking when they're signed due to a starter's injury.
Should I Pickup Kareem Hunt in Week 3?
He's probably not worth a roster spot. In PPR, both Steele and Perine are better pickups and are available in most leagues. Steele should take the early-down and goal-line work, with Perine filling in most of the rest. Hunt may get a few carries here and there to give Steele and Perine rest during games, but you shouldn't expect more.
Hunt is okay to leave on waivers, the odds that he emerges with the most value of the three Chiefs running backs are low.
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