After a disappointing 2024 campaign, how should fantasy managers view Kenneth Walker’s dynasty value? He has sometimes shown to be a game-changer for fantasy purposes, but he’s yet to put together a full season of elite play. He may never become a top-tier fantasy running back, but does that mean he isn’t worth trading for? Or is he too inconsistent with his play and injuries that trading him is the best thing to do? Like any player, he has good and bad aspects to his game. Managers, what do we do with him?
Kenneth Walker has juice. In the 2022 NFL combine, he ran a 4.38 40-time at 211 lbs. It is safe to say his 40 time has made a difference in the NFL. He finished with the tenth most runs of ten-plus yards in both 2022 and 2023including a 74-yarder in his rookie season.
2024 was a letdown, as he had his worst season as a pro statistically (limited to 11 games), but he is still the same player. Explosive players are the ones you want to target in any type of league, and Walker is one of the most explosive backs in the league. On top of being a phenomenal athlete, he is only 24 years old. Walker should continue to rip off long plays for numerous seasons.
Kenneth Walker hasn’t put up crazy numbers yet, but his production is nothing to scoff at. In his three seasons as a pro, he has two seasons with over 1,000 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns. In fantasy, Walker has been at worst, a low-end RB2 since entering the league. On a per-game metric, he was the RB12 in 2024, RB20 in 2023, and the RB17 in 2022. (per sleeper.com)
Walker came out of the gate on fire in 2024, looking like a potential steal in round four of fantasy drafts. In week one against the Broncos, he finished as the RB11 with 103 rushing yards and one touchdown. He missed the next two weeks but returned to form once he came back. In weeks four through seven, he failed to fall outside of fantasy’s top 15 running backs. Three out of those four weeks, he was a top ten back.
The rest of the season was one to forget. Walker failed to have another RB1 game past week seven, had a few RB2 finishes, and then got placed on IR. His production dropped off largely in part due to poor offensive line play down the stretch, and Walker trying to make a big play instead of taking what the defense gives him.
The secret to Walker’s electric start to the season was his usage out of the backfield. In his 11 total games, he had 46 receptions. His previous season high was 29 through 15 total games. Had he played a full season in 2024, Walker would have been on pace for 71 receptions, finishing among the top running backs in that category. While that didn’t happen, it goes to show that he has earned more trust in the passing game.
Now things may be a little different with a new offensive coordinator in town. Previous OC, Ryan Grubb, liked utilizing Walker as a receiver out of the backfield and it worked. As long as the new OC uses Walker in the passing game as Grubb did, Walker could be in for a career year in 2025.
Kenneth Walker has struggled with injuries since he entered the league. While he may not be considered “injury-prone”, he’s certainly not among the league’s healthiest players. He has yet to play a full season in three years, as he missed two games each of his first two seasons and then another eight this last season. He has had a handful of ankle injuries dating back to his college days at Michigan State. His injury history shouldn’t scare people away from him completely, but it should be taken into consideration when considering trading for him.
Not many teams have two talented running backs at their disposal. The Seahawks do. Kenneth Walker has Zach Charbonnet breathing down his neck, waiting for his chance to carve out a more significant role. The more time Kenneth Walker misses, the more opportunities Charbonnet gets to work himself into the rotation. He’s proven to be more than capable of being a lead back, stepping up when Walker missed time.
In the six weeks that Walker missed this season, Charbonnet balled out. He finished as an RB1 three times, as an RB twice, and finished outside of the top 24 backs just once. He even finished as the overall RB1 in week 14 against Arizona, where he rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns and added another 59 yards through the air on seven receptions. He’d end up scoring 38.30 points (PPR).
I do not believe there is a scenario where Charbonnet becomes the early down back in Seattle, but there is a world where Walker and Charbonnet split carries 50/50. This is great for an NFL franchise, but not so much for fantasy managers. Kenneth Walker is still the running back in Seattle to own even if the team shifts to more of a committee approach since he is more of a home run hitter than he is reliant on volume (like Charbonnet is). Ideally, you want a running back with little competition, so Walker can be riskier than previous years due to Charbonnet’s development as a player.
Walker is a talented back who will enter 2025 with some question marks. Will he be able to put together a full season? Will the Seahawks improve the offensive line through the draft and/or free agency? Can he fend off Zach Charbonnet?
Though many questions are unanswered, there is one clear thing: he is a dangerous player when given opportunities and is one of the few players in the league who can turn a normal play into a long touchdown. His insane start to the season gives a glimpse into the kind of ceiling he has. Recency bias is a killer, and there may be a chance the manager in your league who owns him is unimpressed with how he ended the season. All the uncertainty makes him an excellent “buy” candidate.
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