The Carson Steele era might be over as quickly as it started in Kansas City.
Six years after his abrupt departure from the team, Kareem Hunt is back on the Chiefs 53-man roster. The 29-year-old offers a familiar face for a backfield decimated by the absence of Isiah Pacheco, but how much of an impact will he provide in his second stint with the franchise?
Hunt’s efficiency has taken a nosedive since missing the bulk of the 2021 season with a strained right calf. He’s mustered just a 3.4 YPC in the 32 games since and has seemingly lost most of the burst that helped him lead the league in rushing in 2017. As a pass catcher, he has remained a viable outlet and can use the agility he has left in the open space.
Steele has been shaky on the ground in his first couple of games, but in his lone start against Atlanta, he had a solid outing on heavy volume. His straight-line speed is a concern and the primary reason he went undrafted, but the rookie’s agility and brute strength make him tough to wrap up.
It’s impossible to get into the mind of Andy Reid, but I’d imagine the plan is to ride the hot hand. With Hunt looking dejected during his final days in Cleveland, Steele likely starts with the upper hand.
From a traditional fantasy value, Steele projects as a low-level FLEX option, with Hunt merely worth a waiver add in deeper league formats. I’d avoid either in DFS until it’s clear what the workload split will look like.
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