Colm Kelly predicted that Jarquez Hunter will overtake Kyren Williams and seize the Los Angeles Rams starting job by mid-season. Kelly loves Hunter’s three-down profile, calling him the closest thing the Rams have had to a Todd Gurley-style home-run threat since Gurley’s peak. Shawn Siegele echoed the optimism, noting Hunter’s ability to break tackles, create explosive runs and contribute as a receiver. The duo argued that the Rams need more dynamism in the backfield if they’re serious about leapfrogging the 49ers and locking horns with the Eagles for NFC supremacy. Kelly also liked Hunter’s non-overlapping bye week with the rest of their running-back room, framing late-round Hunter shares as potential tournament winners in Best Ball formats.

Chris Raybon drafted Jarquez Hunter at RB 67, betting the preseason pushes him ahead of Blake Corum and into the primary backup spot behind Kyren Williams. Raybon noted that Sean McVay has historically leaned on a clear No. 2 when injuries strike and that Williams already has a heavy mileage tab. If Hunter leapfrogs Corum or Williams misses time, Raybon believes Hunter could smash his late-round price tag and provide RB2 weeks.

Shawn Siegele argued that Jarquez Hunter is the best value in Rounds 13-14, labeling him the type of back who would vault into Round-2 status if the incumbent starter falters. Hunter led the SEC in yards per carry, averaged 4.0 yards after contact, produced 40 broken tackles and a 50% success rate while posting the top first-down rate among Power-Five backs. His Points-Above-Average per attempt matched Bijan Robinson’s 2022 dominance, and Senior-Bowl tracking showed elite deceleration that translates to big-play juice. On the Rams depth chart behind Kyren Williams, an injury to Williams would thrust Hunter into a workload Siegele believes could decide 2025 fantasy championships. Compared with other contingency bets (Braylon Allen, Elijah Mitchell, etc.), Hunter’s combination of athleticism, tackle-breaking, and proven receiving chops make him the must-draft stash for playoff-minded Best Ball drafters.

Kevin Szafraniec said Jarquez Hunter is the exact kind of inexpensive swing fantasy gamers should be taking at the end of 2025 drafts. Drafted 117th overall by the Rams, Hunter steps into the same Day-3 pathway that carried Kyren Williams to a top-10 finish. The Auburn product already showed work-horse traits: a 77% backfield dominator rating his senior season, the fourth-best 0.254 rushing points earned per play in the 2024 class, and a bruising 21.4% broken-tackle rate that trailed only Ashton Jeanty and Damien Martinez in yards after contact per carry. Although his hands remain shaky (87.0% on-target catch rate and an 11.5% drop rate last year), Hunter still ranked fifth in the class in points earned per route thanks to a 57.1% receiving evasion rate. Prospect Lab assigns him a 58 score (tied for 11th in the class) and his Box-Score Scout comps flash multiple pass-game studs, hinting at untapped upside if he can clean up the drops. With Williams entering the final year of his deal and Los Angeles unlikely to deviate from its one-back tendencies if the incumbent misses time or slows down, Szafraniec believes Hunter could seize a 2023-Kyren-style workload and pay off handsomely in both Best Ball tournaments and traditional season-long formats.

Overzet is aggressively drafting fourth-round rookie Jarquez Hunter (ADP 196.3, Super Model 68). Sean McVay has praised Hunter’s ability to hit 'home runs' and said the back has made 'positive strides.' While Kyren Williams and Blake Corum occupy the top of the depth chart, neither offers Hunter’s explosion, creating a plausible early-season change-of-pace role with contingent upside if injuries hit. Hunter fits both Zero-RB builds and RB-heavy starts because he carries stand-alone big-play potential plus traditional handcuff equity. Overzet’s personal exposure sits at 13 %.

James Koh called Jarquez Hunter a textbook fit for Sean McVay’s offense—he posted a class-best 75% success rate on inside-zone runs, and the Rams ran inside zone at the NFL’s 3rd-highest clip while using zone schemes overall 8th most. Hunter even finished top-three in both man-gap and zone success rates, the only prospect to rank top-5 in both. Unfortunately, McVay historically rides one back, and Kyren Williams absorbed 79% of Los Angeles RB touches last season (highest share in the league). The team also spent a third-round pick on Blake Corum. Koh downgraded Hunter’s fantasy outlook to 6.5/10 despite the pristine schematic match, making him mainly a deep dynasty stash unless an injury opens the door.

Pat Fantasy Dog Pound said Jarquez Hunter is the right kind of final-round dart for BBM6 rosters that already lean on Kyren Williams. Pat noted that Kyren logged the league’s second-highest touch share over the final eight weeks of 2023 and already dealt with three separate ankle and hip issues in that stretch. Sean McVay specifically mentioned Hunter as a "change-of-pace hammer" after the draft, and the rookie’s 37% missed-tackle rate at Auburn would add a power element the Rams currently lack. If Kyren’s workload finally catches up to him in December, Pat expects Hunter to step into 15-plus carries in Weeks 15–17—the money weeks for Best Ball Mania—making him a cheap path to Rams correlation with Puka Nacua and Matthew Stafford stacks.

Erik Beimfohr planted his flag on Jarquez Hunter as the no-brainer final-round swing, calling it “highway robbery” to land Kyren Williams’ presumed understudy at pick 212. The Rams spent a third-rounder on the 5’10", 210-pound Auburn dynamo, and both Sean McVay and GM Les Snead have gushed about Hunter’s body-builder frame and three-down skill set. Beimfohr now has Hunter penciled in ahead of Blake Corum—who goes 100 picks earlier—for the RB2 role. That contingency value is enormous: Williams missed chunks of college and has already battled foot and hip issues, yet carried a 77 % snap rate when healthy. If Williams tweaks something, the true backup in McVay’s offense projects for 15-plus touches in a unit that ranked top-10 in red-zone trips last year. Even without an injury, Beimfohr thinks Hunter could siphon high-leverage goal-line work and carve out weekly flex usability. Given day-two draft capital, glowing coach quotes, and a dirt-cheap ADP, he is stuffing Hunter into every late Best Ball roster.

Hayden Winks said Jarquez “Dracos” Hunter is exactly the type of home-run swing you want at the back of Best Ball Mania drafts. The Rams specifically targeted Hunter’s 4.4 speed after admitting their 2023 backfield generated zero explosive runs, and McVay has a long history of carving out change-of-pace roles for play-makers (think rookie Cam Akers down the stretch in 2020). Winks expects Hunter to see immediate schemed touches and has an open-ended ceiling if Kyren Williams’ fumbling issues persist. Because Hunter and fellow rookie Blake Corum suppress each other’s ADP—both regularly available after pick 195—drafters can cheaply bet on one winning the job without burning meaningful capital. Winks projects a scenario where Hunter pushes for 8–10 touches early and potentially seizes a 15-plus carry role by fantasy playoff weeks, giving him far more league-winning juice than the veteran backs usually drafted in that pocket.

Rob Coakley recommended taking a few early stabs at rookie Jarquez Hunter strictly for closing-line value, but cautioned drafters not to overreact. Sean McVay’s staff publicly raved about Hunter after spending Day-3 capital on him, and the Rams have a history of funneling work to a clear No.2 once preseason games reveal the pecking order. Coakley expects Hunter—rather than 2024 third-rounder Blake Corum—to get first crack at the backup job based on current information, yet emphasized that Kyren Williams is locked into a 75–80% snap share when healthy. Because Los Angeles traditionally tips its hand in Weeks 1–2 of the preseason, Coakley plans to taper exposure until the Rams show their depth-chart cards, then hammer whichever understudy emerges. Draft a sprinkle of Hunter now for upside handcuff equity, but be ready to pivot when August information hits.