Injuries continue to mount in the 2023 NFL season. It is inevitable that every fantasy football manager will navigate at least some of them throughout the season. Cleveland Browns RB Kareem Hunt just signed with the team a week ago, and is now already dealing with multiple injuries. What is the latest on his status, and is he likely to play against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4?
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Latest News Surrounding Kareem Hunt
Hunt made his season debut last week in the wake of Nick Chubb’s season-ending knee injury. He only played 14 snaps, but he earned five carries and three targets. It was a fairly high usage rate relative to playing time.
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Hunt suffered no noticeable on-field injury, but he was absent from Wednesday’s practice. The Browns listed him as dealing with groin and rib issues.
Wednesday practices are largely meaningless in the modern NFL, especially for veterans like Hunt. Given the rigors of an NFL season, we frequently see players get Wednesdays off regardless of whether they are actually hurt. It does appear as if Hunt is dealing with legitimate injuries, though.
Fortunately, Hunt’s status does not appear to be in doubt for Sunday, according to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.
#Browns CB Greg Newsome II returns to practice; RB Kareem Hunt idle but expected to play: Kevin Stefanski quick hits https://t.co/xgf589Jw9y
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) September 27, 2023
What Does This Mean for Hunt’s Fantasy Ranking?
For Hunt’s fantasy ranking, this doesn’t do much. Hunt was already nowhere near being a fantasy starter, coming at RB46 in our PFN Consensus Rankings.
Based on head coach Kevin Stefanski’s comments, fantasy managers have no reason to think Hunt is in any real jeopardy of missing Sunday’s divisional showdown against the Ravens. But you were never starting him, even if healthy.
Jerome Ford is locked in as the Browns’ lead back. Even if Hunt couldn’t go, Pierre Strong would just see a bit of an increase in work behind Ford.
At this point, Hunt is just a Ford insurance policy. If you have him on your roster, hang onto him. Just don’t put him in Week 4 lineups.