In this series, we’ll dig into the numbers and examine offseason moves to assess whether some of fantasy football’s top names and most intriguing players are worth their current ADP.
Quick hits on Kenneth Walker heading into 2023
Pros
- Seahawks a team on the rise
- History of RB success in Seattle
- Young with room to grow
Cons
- A lot of mouths to feed on offense
- A 2nd round RB pick to compete with
- Questionable QB play
- Not a lot of pass-catching opportunities
- Preseason injury concerns
Kenneth Walker’s 2023 fantasy overview
Kenneth Walker is one of the promising young running backs who broke out last season for the Seattle Seahawks. During his rookie campaign, he rushed for over 1,000 yards and had 9 touchdowns, good enough to finish as RB15 despite missing two games and not being heavily featured in the first four games of the season. This is enough to make him the 20th ranked running back according to ESPN.
This season, Walker is on a very promising team surrounded by talented young players on both side of the ball. These include two second-year offensive tackles who played extremely well last season, plus CB Tariq Woolen, RB Jamaal Adams, S Quandre Diggs, and pass-catchers Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf, and Noah Fant. Seattle also added WR Jaxon Smith Njigba, LB Bobby Wagner, and CB Devon Witherspoon this offseason, which gives them plenty of optimism that they can improve as a team from their 2022 season.
Walker also plays for Pete Carroll, who has historically shepherded some pretty good fantasy running backs in his tenure — think of Marshawn Lynch or Chris Carson. Now Carroll has had to manage much poorer quarterback play compared to what he dealt with when Russell Wilson was behind center.
One of the more intriguing fantasy traits regarding Walker is his age, as he’s currently only 22 going into just his second professional season, with much less wear and tear than say a James Conner possess, a back who is ranked very closely to Walker by many fantasy experts. Granted, his age did not prevent him from already succumbing to a groin injury during training camp, but longer-term durability remains less of a concern compared to some of his older counterparts.
Walker certainly has the kind of ability to potentially break out and be a top 5 fantasy running back this season. For where Walker is currently being drafted, you won’t be able to get an established elite talent, so you could hope that someone like Walker emerges as one this season.
However, there are still some problems with Walker’s situation. There are a lot of talented offensive weapons on the team that he needs to compete with, namely Metcalf, Lockett, Njigba, and Fant. It is tough to see how Carroll plans on involving all of these very talented pieces to give them all good production.
The quarterback situation is also less than ideal. While Geno Smith had a better-than-expected season last year, do we really think that this 32 year old quarterback has suddenly turned it around and figured out the NFL? If we are claiming that Brock Purdy had a fluke year, shouldn’t we be wondering the same about Smith?
The most concerning factor though related to Walker’s fantasy appeal is that Seattle drafted Zach Charbonnet in the second round of the NFL draft. A team does not typically spend a second-round draft pick on a player that they plan on strictly being a backup. This means that they either don’t think Walker is the right guy to lead this backfield, or they prefer a running back-by-committee approach.
Lastly, Walker only had 27 catches last season for 165 yards. Running backs desperately need the receiving work to be relevant in PPR leagues unless they are one of clearly elite rushers like Derrick Henry or Nick Chubb.
How to play Kenneth Walker in fantasy football 2023
I would not feel comfortable taking Walker in any of my fantasy leagues, and this was before his groin injury that will likely keep him out the entire preseason, if not longer. The reason someone would draft him is because of the perceived upside given his age and second-year status. But that upside is greatly diminished by the presence of Charbonett and his lack of involvement in the passing game. I view Walker as someone with a low floor but not a very high ceiling. Let your league mates make this drafting mistake.
Verdict: A mistake
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