Fantasy football managers who were without Seattle Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III may want to start formulating a backup plan at the running back position for Week 13 with another appearance on the team’s injury report to start the week of practice.
Let’s take a closer look at the most recent news we have on Walker and the potential fantasy impact this injury could have on the Seahawks’ offense.
Latest Injury Update on Kenneth Walker III
Seattle’s leading rusher has been a vital contributor to the Seahawks’ offense through the first half of the 2023 NFL season. However, the offense struggled to produce scoring drives against the San Francisco 49ers when Walker missed his first game of the season on Sunday.
According to a recent report from Gregg Bell, Walker missed the first practice of the week ahead of their game against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football. Walker was a non-participant in practice all of last week while dealing with an oblique injury that ultimately saw him ruled out on Thanksgiving.
Will Walker Play This Week?
It’s unfortunate the Seahawks play on Thursday because it would give Walker an additional three days of recovery time to heal his ailing oblique if the game was Sunday, but the schedule overlords simply don’t favor him in this case.
Walker’s absence from Monday’s practice is a bad sign for his Week 13 availability. If he hopes to return to the field against Dallas, he’ll likely need to get on the field before Wednesday. Otherwise, Seattle is very likely to simply play it safe with Walker and give backup RB Zach Charbonnet the leading role for a second straight game.
What Does This Mean for Zach Charbonnet’s Fantasy Ranking?
When on the football field this season, Walker has been a productive fantasy asset, with 17 receptions for 173 receiving yards, 613 rushing yards, and seven TDs. Even with Walker out of the lineup in Week 12 and the team having their bye back in Week 5, he’s still the RB21 in PPR formats on the season.
It’s worth mentioning that Walker was beginning to cede a significant amount of snaps to Charbonnet prior to his injury — seeing less than 50% of the offensive snaps in three straight games from Weeks 8 to 10.
During that span, Charbonnet out-snapped Walker but failed to significantly out-produce him on the field, which accomplished the unattractive fantasy feat of putting both in a timeshare.
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Many fantasy managers had very high expectations for Charbonnet once Walker exited the game against the Los Angeles Rams with the aforementioned oblique injury. Unfortunately, the rookie has just 94 rushing yards on 29 carries with no scores in the last two games.
While the rushing efficiency hasn’t been ideal, Charbonnet’s involvement in the Seahawks’ struggling passing game has been encouraging. He does have 10 receptions over the last two games, which does slightly raise his fantasy floor.
If Walker is available against the Cowboys, he feels like a low-end RB2 in a tough matchup working in tandem with Charbonnet. But if Walker misses his second straight game, then Charbonnet would be a top-20 play at the RB position in Week 13.
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