Kareem Hunt missed the first eight games of 2019, but he was an important part of Cleveland's offense from that point on. Hunt played at least 50 percent of the snaps in every game he was active for last year, and his insertion into the lineup resulted in a dip in playing time for Nick Chubb.
Chubb was the RB6 in Fantasy prior to Hunt's addition in Week 10, but he ranked as just the RB15 from that point on. With that in mind, is Chubb someone to avoid at his ADP of RB9? Or could the rumors that Hunt will operate as the team's third receiver allow Chubb to again play over 80 percent of the offensive snaps and dominate in Fantasy?
Hunt's offensive usage is one of the top-10 Fantasy storylines I will be keeping an eye on over the weeks leading up to Fantasy draft season, because he could become an absolute steal at his ADP of RB27 if he runs more routes than he did in 2019.
Barring an injury to Odell Beckham Jr. or Jarvis Landry, Hunt isn't ever going to operate as a full-time wideout in this offense. New head coach Kevin Stefanski utilized three receiver sets at the lowest rate in the NFL while with Minnesota last season. So don't get illusions of an 80 percent snap rate from Hunt or anything crazy like that.
Still, targets have been worth 2.74 times as many Fantasy points as a carry in PPR formats, so any increase in Hunt's receiving role is noteworthy. 32.3 percent of Hunt's offensive snaps came lined up in the slot or out wide in 2019, and he was targeted frequently on those reps. Hunt's 16-game pace from 2019 is 88 targets, which would have ranked seventh among running backs.
Hunt was highly productive with his targets, too. According to PFF, Hunt was Cleveland's highest-graded player on receiving plays, and Baker Mayfield's passer rating when targeting Hunt was the best on the team. He was third on the team in receiving on the year, despite missing half of the games.
With Chubb healthy, Hunt is a low-end Fantasy RB2 with upside for more in PPR formats if he takes on a larger receiving role. And if Chubb is forced to miss any time, Hunt has more three-down Fantasy potential than any backup RB in the entire NFL. He's being selected behind David Montgomery, Devin Singletary, Mark Ingram, and Raheem Mostert, but I would select Hunt over all of those backs in PPR formats. Everyone on that list lacks the receiving role to match Hunt's upside.
Keep an eye on how Cleveland describes Hunt's role over the ensuing weeks. We might glean some insight in the preseason, but I wouldn't expect the Browns to unveil any creative offensive sets in meaningless games. What is likely to be more indicative of Hunt's role are reports like this -- highlighting Hunt's involvement in the team's passing meetings. Hunt may end up being one of the biggest steals of Fantasy drafts if he can push for closer to a 65 or 70 percent snap rate while running more routes from the perimeter and slot in 2020.
