Little went right for Kenneth Walker III in 2024, posting by far the worst season of his career both in production and sheer amount of time on the field. When healthy, Walker has been a solid running back on the field and in fantasy football leagues. But staying on the field has been his biggest struggle.
That hasn't stopped the projections around what Walker's ceiling could be if he is able to play a full season from a fantasy angle. In fact, RotoBaller's Andrew Ball picked Walker as one of his "must-have league winners" for the upcoming season. A surprising pick, for sure, especially since Walker's job as the starter isn't even locked in after Zach Charbonnet outplayed him in 2024.
"Last summer, Ken Walker was one of my priority targets because of a projected increase in receiving work," Ball wrote. "That came true -- Walker averaged 4.2 catches per game after finishing below two in his first two seasons."
"What Walker added in the passing game, he gave away on the ground. The Seattle offensive line graded as one of, if not the, worst units in football. His yards per carry slipped below four for the first time. And the red-zone numbers were dreadful: 21 carries for 23 yards inside the 20 and 11 attempts for nine yards inside the five. His touchdown total should have been much higher."
The offensive line is to blame, yes, but Walker has never grown out of his tendency to always look for the home run play instead of simply following the play design. Occasionally, it works in his favor, but most of the time it results in a bad negative play for Walker and the offense. Entering his fourth season, Walker needs to prove he can be a reliable, every-down rusher who can function within a scheme.
If Walker stays healthy, receives a full workload and continues his receiving production from last season, there's a good chance he finishes among the league's top-10 fantasy running backs. However, there's another scenario where he cedes much of his carries and snaps to Charbonnet and falls off the map completely.
Training camp will be a good gauge of where both rushers sit on the depth chart. The intrigue around Charbonnet continues to rise, as he's performed extremely well in his limited opportunities during his first two seasons in the league. He could be the workhorse that offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak needs for his scheme.
