BREAKING: Cleveland Browns Sign Kareem Hunt – What are the Fantasy Implications?

Breaking: Kareem Hunt has signed a one-year contract with the Cleveland Browns.

Another free agent has found their home for the 2023 season, and it’s somewhat of a homecoming. After a brutal knee injury on MNF to Nick Chubb. The injury will cause him to miss the rest of the season. The Cleveland Browns and Kareem Hunt have agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract. This deal appeared to be a no-brainer for the club. Hunt already knows the playbook and a relationship having been with the club since 2019.

Fantasy Implications

For fantasy football purposes, I see the addition of Hunt allowing the Browns not to overly rely on Jerome Ford. Instead, they can be used as another one-two punch like the Browns had for years with Chubb and Hunt. While this does hurt both players’ chances at RB1 status (and remove Ford from being the Puka Nacua of the Waiver Wire for running back needy teams) it’s not a long-term solution. I do see this translating to long-term success for the entire organization.

Adding Hunt brings someone more suited to the passing game for Deshaun Watson, who has looked like a shell of himself since signing a 235 million dollar guaranteed contract. Bringing in a solid check-down option in Hunt could help increase the passing game for the Browns offence overall.

Overall, the signing is a breath of fresh air for fantasy football managers who have held on to Hunt. This was the day they awaited for the past couple of months as they waited for Hunt to sign a deal. On the other hand, it’s a relatively low blow to fantasy managers who spend 75% of their FAAB on Jerome Ford, only to see his fantasy value cut in half an hour later. Hunt should be able to provide consistent 8-12 points for those once he gets himself up to speed with the team. Now we wait to see if Lenny gets signed next.