Fake Teams fantasy football mailbag: Can Kareem Hunt keep this up?

Welcome to the Fake Teams’ fantasy football mailbag. This week we’re talking which Keanu Reeves Kareem Hunt is, starting running back troubles, favorite Parks & Rec season and more.

If you want to send in your questions for next week’s mailbag, here are the ways to join:

• tweet @petemrogers or @Faketeams using #FTFFmailbag
• email at ftffmailbag@gmail.com
• leave your question in the comments!

Onto the mailbag:

Q: If Kareem Hunt through the first two weeks has been Keanu Reeves in John Wick 1 and John Wick 2 respectively (just mowing down opponents), which Keanu can we expect Hunt to be in Week 3?
— Bill S.

Bill Simmons, is that you!? (Sadly, it’s not)

This is an exceptional question and one that I thought about long and hard before answering. I wanted to pull out the shock value and go with Keanu in The Lake House, but I can’t bring myself to stoop that low. I don’t think Hunt is going to suddenly fall off that big a cliff.

Honestly, I think he’s going to be Matrix Keanu. Hunt has already been blowing our minds this season and he’s now about to face a Chargers defense that has not been great at stopping the run. They gave up 81 yards to C.J. Anderson in Week 1 and are coming off a game in which they gave up 122 to Jay Ajayi. This week Hunt goes from being amazing, to realizing that he can control the world that we live in and his fantasy value will quintuple as he learns he can just teleport himself into the endzone at will.

Q: In a PPR league, does it make sense to trade Lesean McCoy & Dez Bryant for Antonio Brown & Rob Kelley? I already have Kareem Hunt, Isaiah Crowell, Terrance West and Chris Carson. My WRs are Dez Bryant, Deandre Hopkins, Jamison Crowder, Pierre Garcon and Kenny Golladay. Not that it affects this trade, but my TEs are Jimmy Graham and Austin Hooper, with Mariota at QB. Thanks!
— Amrish

Yes. 100% yes. Make this trade and don’t ever look back.

Dez is certainly a great receiver and is getting plenty of targets. Unfortunately, he’s not exactly turning that into elite fantasy production. McCoy is great but you’ve got Kareem Hunt, who I just mentioned is about to turn into a fantasy superhuman. Brown in my book is just too valuable in PPR leagues not to make moves for him. He’s always going to be the focus of the Steelers’ offense and he has yet to have a down season. Rob Kelley also isn’t a bad piece to add.

The trade does leave you a little wanting in the running back department but I have faith in Crowell and Carson to put up numbers once their respective offenses start giving them the ball with regularity.

Q: What's your favorite season of Parks and Rec?
— @The_Good_Will_

That is tough. Like most television entertainment, it would definitely be in the first half of the show. If I had to pick one, think I’d go with Season 3. I love the whole storyline of the Harvest Festival and the season includes some of my all time favorite episodes: Flu Season and The Fight. Season 4 is a very close second with episodes like End of the World and Ron and Tammys.

Q: I got a starting running back question for you guys. I’m set at RB1 with Kareem Hunt, but I haven’t been too happy with DeMarco Murray’s production so far. Should I bench him this week for a favorable matchup with Jonathan Stewart against the Saints? My other bench RB options are Chris Carson, Paul Perkins, or Joe Mixon.
— Jake D.

Man, all you Kareem Hunt owners are some lucky lucky dudes.

I agree with benching Murray in favor of a more favorable matchup and I do like Stewart vs the Saints because, as I’ve so eloquently said many times before, the Saints’ defense sucks. However, I’d be mildly worried that this game becomes Christian McCaffrey’s coming out party. He has been heavily featured in the offense so far and against a porous defense like the Saints, his playmaking ability in both the air and on the ground might be on full display and quickly become the Panthers’ go-to guy.

I like Chris Carson this week as well against an average Titans defense against running backs. I think this is the first real week that Carson will be the Seahawks’ unquestioned starter and as such he’ll be instrumental in their game plan, especially on the road.

Side note: drop Paul Perkins. He’s useless.

Q: Do I trade Michael Thomas?
— Rebecca R.

Have fantasy football questions? You can email them into FTFFmailbag@gmail.com or tweet them at @petemrogers or @faketeams using the hashtag #FTFFmailbag.