The Kansas City Chiefs have been a revolving door at the running back position so far this season with their two top options in Isaiah Pacheco (fibula) and Clyde Edwards-Helaire (non-football illness) unable to play for multiple weeks. Kareem Hunt was brought back to fill the void and has played a pivotal role in helping the Chiefs stay undefeated in the last three games by racking up 249 yards and 3 touchdowns on 63 total carries.
After Pacheco was placed on injured reserve, Hunt stepped into the starting running back role in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Hunt was able to run effectively, averaging 4.9 yards per carry on 14 carries for a team-leading total of 69 yards. The run success started with Kansas City's offensive line who played very well, pushing back the Chargers defensive front consistently and opening ample holes for Hunt to take advantage of. The Chiefs would go on to take down the Chargers 17-10, winning their fourth game of the season.
In their Week 5 game against the reeling New Orleans Saints, the Chiefs cruised to victory 26-13. Hunt handled a full workload of 27 carries and proved effective once again with 102 yards and a touchdown (3.8-yards/carry average). Hunt also added a single reception for 15 yards. On a day where JuJu Smith-Schuster had his best performance of the season, Hunt continued to impress with productive runs against the league's worst overall defense, helping Kansas City to a 5-0 record.
After a Week 6 bye, Hunt tallied 22 carries for 78 yards and 2 touchdowns against a traditionally stout San Francisco 49ers defense in Week 7. The Toledo product ran with purpose, breaking arm tackles and churning his legs to get every extra yard he could muster. The hard-nosed running and overall production from Hunt helped spark Kansas City's offensive production by forcing the Niners' defense to stay committed to stopping the run, in turn opening things up for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs passing game. Kansas City controlled the majority of the game and went on to defeat San Francisco by a score of 28-18, moving to 6-0 on the season.
One area that has left more to desire in Hunt's recent fantasy performances has been his lack of production in the passing game. In the first half of the eight year veteran's career, he was a significant threat as a receiver out of the backfield, recording 154 receptions for 1,422 yards and 16 receiving touchdowns. However, in the last four seasons, Hunt has only been able to haul in 77 receptions for 504 yards and 1 touchdown on 98 targets, leaving fantasy managers scratching their heads.
Hunt may no longer be the same player he once was for the Chiefs when he totaled 25 touchdowns in his first two seasons combined, but he is very much still relevant in fantasy football, especially in deeper leagues. Clyde Edwards-Helaire's return to the mix in the next week or two could complicate things a bit for Hunt's fantasy owners, but if Hunt is able to continue running the ball as effectively as he has so far in this 2024 campaign (averaging 4 yards per carry and a touchdown per game), he should hold onto the RB1 spot and provide fantasy managers a nice, warm security blanket until Isiah Pacheco makes his return near Week 10 or 11.
