Kendall Hunter: Are folks missing the boat? (1 Viewer)

[FavreAndAwayAnIdiot]

So Frank Gore is 30 and, like it or not, his best days are probably behind him. Hunter has looked pretty good when he's played (5+ yards/carry), and really hasn't been an injury risk during his career, so last year's injury was rare for him. He's a bit small, which makes blocking tougher but I'd think the mobility of Kaepernick offsets that a bit. And the kid's a solid character, hard-working ball of football grit who plays bigger than he is.

I think Kendall Hunter can be a franchise RB in this league post-Gore, and I believe he's way under rated in dynasty circles. A quick scan of dynasty football sites have him waaaay down the rankings and I just don't get it.

Recent reports suggest LaMichael James may not be progressing anymore, and I really don't think Lattimore will ever be the same after his catastrophic knee injury.

Why isn't Kendall Hunter getting more love?

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

I think a Torn Achilles is a pretty scary injury for a RB. Some players are never the same.

 

[Sabertooth]

He's a gamble but he's pennies on the dollar for upside. I like his dynasty future but he's certainly one who might pay off in for redraft too. For redraft I'd have him in that some boat with Quiz Rodgers. Need an injury to help your team.

 

[SameSongNDance]

He's a gamble but he's pennies on the dollar for upside. I like his dynasty future but he's certainly one who might pay off in for redraft too. For redraft I'd have him in that some boat with Quiz Rodgers. Need an injury to help your team.

The difference however, at least when it comes to cuffs, is that Hunter is a much more talented/well rounded back, in a more RB friendly system, running behind a more competent offensive line. Clearly they both need injuries to see relevant playing time, but Hunter has a ton more upside.

I had Hunter pegged as a sleeper last year, obviously that didn't pan out too well. The Achilles injury is rough as it can turn you into a straight plodder/end your career. Surprisingly enough, he looked pretty good during preseason action and it would seem as if he was able to retain his burst. I'm on board again this year.

 

[MAC_32]

Beyond the achilles, his problem is he is 2nd fiddle right now to Gore and may be 2nd fiddle to Lattimore next year while also having LMJ to deal with.

He's like Pierre Thomas in a worse situation with a bad wheel.

 

[socrates]

I was really high on Hunter last season. I think he is still a value pickup, but the jury is yet out on him being the same back he was pre-injury. Mix in Lattimore, and I am less enthused about Hunter. There are many "IFS" in the equation at the moment, but those "IFS" may have driven Hunter's price down to a decent buy.

 

[James Brimacombe]

I actually think Gore should be getting more love than he is currently getting. He may be one of the older backs in the NFL but he is a workhorse and the Niners trust him. They will continue to give Gore the carries until he shows signs of breaking down. I think it is safe to ride the wave for at least one more year.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

I actually think Gore should be getting more love than he is currently getting. He may be one of the older backs in the NFL but he is a workhorse and the Niners trust him. They will continue to give Gore the carries until he shows signs of breaking down. I think it is safe to ride the wave for at least one more year.

I think the OP was looking at this from a dynasty perspective though. Gore may have one more good year in him, but he probably won't be a feature back next year and beyond. The 49ers are clearly starting to prepare for life after Gore with a pretty nice collection of talent behind him (Hunter, James, Lattimore). I could easily see a full blown committee approach take over there at some point, which hurts the value of all players somewhat (not to mention having a running QB vulture some TDs).

 

[Banger]

from a dynasty perspective there's still some big roadblocks in the way for Hunter with James and especially Lattimore. It's not even a given that Gore won't be there another year. Lotta mouths to feed at this point with a lot of uncertainty.

 

[Mookie]

I don't worry about James, but with Gore and Lattimore around, I think he will continue to be a complimentary back. I don't see him ever being used exclusively, even if he returns to 100%. Now if he were to move on to a new team in a year or two ...

 

[Sabertooth]

The thing about "the wall" is that it hits suddenly. Obviously Harbaugh isn't afraid to make a huge position switch midseason.

 

[the spanker]

The thing about "the wall" is that it hits suddenly. Obviously Harbaugh isn't afraid to make a huge position switch midseason.

Agree. Hunter is one of the few players who's upside justifies the gamble of being on the boat now.

From what I read, he's retained his burst. And if I recall, didn't Gore struggle last year in those first few games of the season until Harbaugh called him out?

Maybe it was in 2011 that happened.

 

[Clifford]

Beyond the achilles, his problem is he is 2nd fiddle right now to Gore and may be 2nd fiddle to Lattimore next year while also having LMJ to deal with.

He's like Pierre Thomas in a worse situation with a bad wheel.

I think he's better than Thomas, but when they drafted Lattimore I knew I had bet on the wrong horse. Hunter does not figure into their long-term plans, and will have a hard time getting a RB1 injury elsewhere. Even if Gore retired this offseason, I don't think he beats out Lattimore in camp.

 

[FavreAndAwayAnIdiot]

You guys are all assuming Lattimore can actually recover. I remember when Robert Edwards shredded his knee at the Pro Bowl flag football debacle. Yeah, he came back eventually, but he didn't have NFL caliber skills anymore. It was quite sad. I also think the 49'ers admin didn't want to bank on Hunter being able to recover, so they took a chance on Lattimore. You can never have too much depth at RB, anyway.

I also have pretty much written off LaMichael James as depth. He had his chance to step up and he didn't. Now he's hurt.

I fully believe if Hunter shows similar skill to what he had pre-injury, it will be his job to lose once Gore moves on. I believe that will become apparent early this season.

 

[socrates]

You guys are all assuming Lattimore can actually recover. I remember when Robert Edwards shredded his knee at the Pro Bowl volleyball debacle. Yeah, he came back eventually, but he didn't have NFL caliber skills anymore. It was quite sad. I also think the 49'ers admin didn't want to bank on Hunter being able to recover, so they took a chance on Lattimore. You can never have too much depth at RB, anyway.

I also have pretty much written off LaMichael James as depth. He had his chance to step up and he didn't. Now he's hurt.

I fully believe if Hunter shows similar skill to what he had pre-injury, it will be his job to lose once Gore moves on. I believe that will become apparent early this season.

I think there are significant differences between Robert Edwards' injury and Marcis Lattimore's.

First, if I recall correctly, Edwards injury was so bad, they thought they might need to amputate his leg. It seems like there was a severed artery involved, as well as multiple ligaments torn. Lattimore's injury, while gruesome, is not in the same area code.

Second, knee surgery has come along way in recent years. We saw Terrell Davis' career ended by what would today likely cost him only a season.

Lattimore has many things going for him, including an intense drive. I am betting on the kid.

 

[Banger]

You guys are all assuming Lattimore can actually recover. I remember when Robert Edwards shredded his knee at the Pro Bowl volleyball debacle. Yeah, he came back eventually, but he didn't have NFL caliber skills anymore. It was quite sad. I also think the 49'ers admin didn't want to bank on Hunter being able to recover, so they took a chance on Lattimore. You can never have too much depth at RB, anyway.

I also have pretty much written off LaMichael James as depth. He had his chance to step up and he didn't. Now he's hurt.

I fully believe if Hunter shows similar skill to what he had pre-injury, it will be his job to lose once Gore moves on. I believe that will become apparent early this season.

I think there are significant differences between Robert Edwards' injury and Marcis Lattimore's.

First, if I recall correctly, Edwards injury was so bad, they thought they might need to amputate his leg. It seems like there was a severed artery involved, as well as multiple ligaments torn. Lattimore's injury, while gruesome, is not in the same area code.

Second, knee surgery has come along way in recent years. We saw Terrell Davis' career ended by what would today likely cost him only a season.

Lattimore has many things going for him, including an intense drive. I am betting on the kid.

and he's being given a year to recuperate. Who knows if he'll come all the back but he will be in the mix and who would've anticipated that they would even bring him in this year. Who's to say they don't draft another RB next year? I haven't watched Hunter very closely but I've had Gore for years on my teams and when he came in he did fine but I never was blown away by what I saw. If he's super cheap, collect him on your rosters and see what happens but in my read of the situation a lot would need to go right to give him the value that you think is right in front of him.....

 

[joey]

In dynasty, if you have the roster room, I think you keep 3 slots for the SF running game: Gore, Hunter and Lattimore.

Lattimore hopefully gets an official IR tag soon (for those of us in leagues where you can't use an IR slot if someone is simply labelled as "out"),

leaving you with only 2 slots dedicated to the SF RBs in 2013.

Hopefully, by the 2014 pre-season, more info will shed light on Lattimore's recovery, Gore's potential demise, and Hunter's ability to be the man, so that you only have to spend, at most, 2 roster spots on the SF running game.

LaMichael James is being ignored by me on purpose in this case. If he does surprise me, then someone else catches lightning in a bottle. I'm willing to take that chance to not have to burn a 4th roster slot on the SF RBs.

Tougher part for me (since you all care deeply about my dynasty team ) is that it's only a Keep 12 league, so I can't spend too many roster spots on a situation like this. [/myimportantrosterinfo]

 

[steelwind]

I've been down this road before with Hunter. Each year I also keep predicting that Gore will break down. Well Gore has been durable and I will give credit where it's due. Hunter is merely a handcuff right now just like any other handcuff.

 

[SeniorVBDStudent]

Its hard to bet against Frank. Im leaning Helu for $6 but its a tossup.