Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker won over fantasy football managers in 2022 with a season finish of RB16. He quietly won managers championships, finishing the season with over 1,000 rushing yards and nine TDs (and 165 receiving yards). Hopes were high heading into 2023, and people got nervous when Seattle drafted RB Zach Charbonnet to back up Walker.
Even with Charbonnet’s talent, Walker managed to keep a hold on the backfield. Walker has averaged 72% of the RB carries this year. However, Walker’s share has decreased, and Charbonnet’s has increased as the season progressed, perhaps signaling a change on the horizon and a belief from Pete Carroll that a 50/50 backfield could be the goal.
Walker is currently the RB22 this season and has missed the last two weeks due to injury. Previous to Week 12, which he sat out, he had six fantasy finishes in the top 20. Walker is RB36 this week in PFN’s consensus rankings.
Is Kenneth Walker III Going To Play Week 14?
Walker has been battling an oblique injury that caused him to miss Week 12 against San Francisco and Week 13 against Dallas. The Seahawks play the Niners again this week, and it is uncertain if Walker will be ready to suit up. Walker sustained the injury in Week 11 against the Rams — after the game head coach told the media that the “oblique strain was legit.” There was concern that Walker might head to IR.
Thankfully, Walker avoided the IR and looks set to return on Sunday. Both he and Charbonnet are questionable for Week 14. Walker did not practice on Wednesday, was limited on Thursday, and practiced in full on Friday. Carroll said both RBs “looked pretty good, and we’ve got to see what happens tomorrow, see how they feel … But both guys worked today.”
It seems that Walker is trending toward playing, with Carroll hinting he is on track and further reports reinforcing that. It will be important for fantasy managers to motor news reports, though, and look for the inactives that come out 90 minutes before game time.
Potential Fantasy Options If Walker Is Out Include Zach Charbonnet and DeeJay Dallas
Charbonnet has worked his way into a timeshare with Walker lately. If Walker misses, Charbonnet would be the obvious RB1. However, Charboonnet has been on the same practice schedule as Walker this week as he is dealing with a knee injury. If he is available to play this week, he will be looking to build on a solid Week 13 performance against Dallas, where he had 99 all-purpose yards and a TD.
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If both RBs have a setback and cannot play, fantasy managers could look towards DeeJay Dallas. Dallas has only played 12% of snaps this season, but his playing time has increased in the last three weeks, especially when Walker was out. Managers should temper their expectations as the Seahawks play a tough San Francisco defense this week.
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