Who Should I Start? Duke Johnson or Kareem Hunt

Sunday, May 5, 1:51 PM

Running back Duke Johnson announced his retirement from professional football on Sunday. Johnson was originally taken in the third round (77th overall) by the Cleveland Browns in the 2015 NFL draft out of Miami. He spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Browns before spending two years with the Houston Texans. Johnson played for the Miami Dolphins in 2021 and the Buffalo Bills in the final year of his career in 2022. The 30-year-old wraps up his career having recorded 2,265 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 532 carries, adding 311 catches on 405 targets for 2,870 yards and an additional 12 touchdowns in 97 games (21 starts) covering eight seasons. Johnson had a career-high 410 rushing yards on 83 attempts in his first year in Houston in 2019.

Tuesday, January 30, 8:42 PM

Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt (hernia) recently had sports-hernia surgery to fix a ruptured adductor, according to sources. Hunt played in 15 games in his fifth year with the Browns in 2023, but he was listed on the injury report often with a groin injury and averaged a career-low 3.0 yards per carry on 135 attempts for 411 rushing yards and a career-high nine rushing TDs in the regular season. He added a career-low 15 receptions for 84 yards through the air. The 28-year-old's lower numbers now make more sense, but he still had plenty of fantasy appeal as a flex play because of his red-zone usage and nose for the end zone. Hunt could be more effective with better health in 2024, but he's also scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent. His fantasy appeal will depend on where he lands, and there's a good chance it won't be in Cleveland.