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.

Saturday, September 13, 4:49 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt will take on the Philadelphia Eagles at home this Sunday. Hunt received an identical workload to Isiah Pacheco and produced similar results. The veteran back was less efficient with his carries but picked up more receiving yards in his three opportunities. It is also important to note that Hunt appeared to be the preferred back on passing downs and short yardage situations. If this usage continues, Hunt could end up being the more fantasy-relevant player in this backfield. The Chiefs deployed Hunt in goal-line situations last season, and he was successful in that role, so it's possible that he retains that job. That said, the backfield usage was split 50/50, and it will be a difficult situation to deal with unless one player starts commanding more touches. Hunt will have to face a stout Eagles defense this week, so even if he gets more work, it could be hard to get anything going. Hunt is ranked RB48 in our RotoBaller rankings this week, making him a deeper league flex option. It might be best to wait and see how this backfield shakes out.