Kareem Hunt has had a lot of fantasy sleeper potential ever since the Kansas City Chiefs selected him in the third round of this year’s NFL draft. But he’ll be getting a big workload much earlier than expected thanks to a major injury at the top of the depth chart.
Fantasy football start/sit advice, Chiefs vs. Patriots TNF: Kareem Hunt
The third-round rookie will be thrown into the deep end in his first NFL start.
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Starting running back Spencer Ware tore his PCL in the preseason and is already out for the season, elevating Hunt to the starting job right away (he already beat out Charcandrick West for the No. 2 spot). Hunt will be making his NFL debut against the New England Patriots on Thursday night’s NFL season opener.
Fantasy impact: Andy Reid said immediately following Ware’s injury that Hunt will be a featured back, and we haven’t seen a lot to indicate otherwise. West and C.J. Spiller might steal a handful of snaps a piece, but all signs point to Hunt being the lead man in the Chiefs’ backfield.
Hunt is a locked-in RB2 in standard fantasy leagues at the moment, although his ceiling might be lowered against a Patriots defense that gave up the third-fewest fantasy points to running backs last season.
Recommendation: Start
