Who Should I Start? Kareem Hunt or Dylan Sampson

Saturday, September 6, 9:17 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt was inefficient during their loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday evening. Hunt ran the ball five times for a mere 16 yards, averaging a low 3.2 yards per carry. Through the air, Hunt was able to bring in two of his three targets for 10 yards. Despite his modest showing on the ground, Hunt saw the same amount of carries (five) as presumed starter Isiah Pacheco. However, given Hunt's underwhelming production, the Chiefs may look to decrease his workload later in the season as Pacheco averaged 5.0 YPC in this contest. In 2024, Hunt replaced the injured Pacheco and served as the lead option for most of the campaign, but carried a low ceiling as he posted a similar 3.2 YPC on 200 attempts. For now, managers in deeper formats should view Hunt as low-range, touchdown-dependent RB3 heading into their Week 2 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Sunday, September 7, 6:04 PM

Cleveland Browns running back Dylan Sampson rushed for 29 yards on 12 carries during Sunday's Week 1 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. He was much more productive and efficient through the air, catching all eight of his targets for 64 receiving yards. He finished with 16.9 points in PPR leagues, and he was still solid in half-PPR or standard formats thanks to his 93 total yards against the Bengals. Cleveland experimented with three different running backs on Sunday, but Sampson was far more efficient than Jerome Ford and Raheim Sanders. As a result, the rookie likely enters Week 2 as the Browns' No. 1 running back. However, he will face added competition next week when Quinshon Judkins makes his NFL debut. Judkins will likely be phased into the offense so that he has time to get acclimated, which means that he's not a major threat to Sampson's role right away. However, as the season goes on, expect the two rookies to provide each other with healthy competition on a weekly basis.