Should I Start Kareem Hunt in Week 3? Fantasy Football Start/Sit Analysis

Cleveland Browns superstar running back Nick Chubb recently suffered a devastating injury against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football. Unfortunately for Chubb and the Browns, the gruesome injury will require surgery and be of the season-ending variety.

While the Browns currently have running back Jerome Ford on the roster, the team announced Tuesday that they were signing Kareem Hunt to a one-year, $4 million deal. Hunt spent four seasons with the Browns before leaving in free agency at the conclusion of the 2022 campaign.

Will this reunion between Kareem Hunt and the Cleveland Browns work out? Should you start Kareem Hunt in fantasy football in Week 3? Read on for answers to these key questions.

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Kareem Hunt Fantasy Football Outlook

After spending four years with the Cleveland Browns, Kareem Hunt's final season with the squad ended badly. The 2022 campaign was Hunt's worst season with the Browns, as he managed just 468 rushing yards and three rushing TDs in 17 games. Last season was the first time in his career that Hunt averaged less than four yards per carry.

Hunt voiced his frustration with his role behind Nick Chubb in the Cleveland offense and requested a trade, although the Browns did not grant that request. The 28-year-old elected to leave the team for free agency during the offseason and has spent the last several months unsigned while visiting with various NFL teams.

Chubb's season-ending injury against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football paved the way for a reunion between the Browns and Hunt. Tuesday morning they signed Hunt to a one-year, $4 million deal. However, we shouldn't expect him to immediately slide into Chubb's role, as he'll be forced to contend with current Cleveland starting RB Jerome Ford.

We've signed RB Kareem Hunt. Welcome Back!

📰» https://t.co/8L1kIFbLci pic.twitter.com/C1WbghgXWE

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 20, 2023

Ford looked sharp in relief of Chubb in Week 2, rushing for 106 yards on 16 carries, while also adding in three catches for 25 yards and a TD against the Steelers. Following his strong outing on MNF, Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that Ford would be the team's "featured back" in Chubb's absence. The Brown also currently have offseason trade acquisition Pierre Strong Jr. on the running back depth chart.

#Browns Kevin Stefanski said that Jerome Ford will be the featured back even as the team looks to add a running back. He wouldn't say if they're interested in bringing Kareem Hunt back

— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) September 19, 2023

Should I Start Kareem Hunt In Week 3 Fantasy Football?

The short answer is "probably not". While Hunt may prove to be a valuable fantasy asset in the coming weeks and months, he does have a few factors working against him in Week 3 that should make his fantasy managers hit the pause button.

We don't yet know for sure that Hunt will even be active for Cleveland's Week 3 matchup against the Tennessee Titans. Although he should be very familiar with the Browns playbook, it might take the 28-year-old some time to get up to speed physically following his multi-month layoff.

If Hunt does suit up, he'll likely - at least initially - be playing a complimentary role to Jerome Ford. After Ford's impressive Monday night outing against the Steelers in relief of Chubb, Stefanski and the Browns will almost certainly keep the 24-year-old in the lead role in the backfield.

Just remember The Tennessee Titans fielded the best run defense last season, allowing just 76.5 yards per game, and we didn’t have our best edge rusher…. #Titans

— jeff (@jd_trilly21) July 21, 2023

Assuming Hunt does get on the field and gets any amount of reasonable volume behind Ford, he'll still be facing one of the NFL's most brutal run-stopping units in Tennessee. The Titans have allowed the league's third-fewest rushing yards through the first two weeks of the season and have relinquished an anemic 2.7 yards per carry to opposing running backs, a mark that's currently the second-best in the NFL.

While his fantasy managers might feel fortunate to have Hunt on their rosters - and he could very well pay handsome fantasy dividends down the road - there's likely some wisdom in keeping him out of starting lineups in Week 3 due to the uncertainty of his role behind Ford and a brutal matchup against the Titans run defense.

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