I Drafted Kenneth Walker for Value – and Finished Fifth
I drafted Kenneth Walker to be my RB3 behind Jonathan Taylor and Breece
Hall. On paper, it felt like one of those quiet, smart moves that wins leagues.
Walker had already posted two top-20 fantasy finishes and was coming off a 2024
season where he finished RB27 despite playing only 11 games. As a FLEX with RB2
upside, he was exactly the kind of depth piece championship teams are built on.
Instead, I finished fifth.
Not terrible. Not irrelevant. Just close enough to know what might have
been.
And the reason sits in Seattle’s backfield philosophy.
The Seattle Seahawks’ Running Back Committee Limited Kenneth Walker’s Fantasy Value
All season, Walker was stuck in a near-even split with Zach Charbonnet.
The usage numbers tell the story:
- Walker: 13 carries, 60.4 rushing
yards per game
- Charbonnet: 11.5 carries, 45.6
rushing yards per game
The difference wasn’t workload — it was touchdowns.
Charbonnet scored 12 times in 16 games. Walker scored 5 touchdowns in 17
games. That disparity dragged Walker down to RB22 in fantasy, with Charbonnet
right behind him at RB24.
The Seahawks didn’t just split the backfield. They split the upside.
And in fantasy football, upside is everything.
Kenneth Walker’s Playoff Usage Proved He’s a True RB1
When Charbonnet tore his ACL in the divisional round against the San
Francisco 49ers, the committee vanished.
So did the limitations.
In three playoff games, Walker averaged:
- 21.7 carries
- 104.3 rushing yards
- 4 total touchdowns
Fantasy totals:
- 35.5 points in the NFC Divisional Round vs. the 49ers
- 21.1 in the NFC Championship vs.
the Rams
- 18.1 in the Super Bowl vs. the
Patriots
Projecting Kenneth Walker’s Playoff Numbers Over a Full 2026 Season
Project those averages across a full 17-game season and you’re looking
at:
- 369 carries
- 1,773 rushing yards
- 23 touchdowns
Yes, that volume would regress. 369 carries would tie for the 31st most
in NFL history. Twenty-three rushing touchdowns would rank sixth all-time. But
even adjusting for realism, you’re staring at clear top-10 production.
At that pace, Walker would have scored 315.3 fantasy points — good for RB6.
That’s not a FLEX. That’s a league-winner.
He didn’t just produce in fantasy either. He rushed for 135 yards in the
Super Bowl, tied for eighth-most in Super Bowl history, and became the first
running back since Terrell Davis in Super Bowl XXXII to win Super Bowl MVP.
That’s not a committee back.
That’s a bell cow who was finally treated like one.
What the Seahawks Must Decide: Pay Kenneth Walker or Let Him Walk?
Now the fantasy question becomes an NFL question.
Walker is 25 and entering free agency after the final year of his rookie
contract. The Seahawks can franchise tag him at roughly $14.5 million or let
him test the market. They have the cap space — projected around $75 million —
but the league has made it clear: running backs don’t get paid like they used
to.
We just watched James Cook seek $15 million annually after leading the
league in rushing touchdowns, only to settle closer to $11.5 million per year.
The league says running backs are replaceable.
January said otherwise.
Seattle now has to decide whether it believes what it just watched: a
player who carried them through the postseason when given true RB1 volume.
The Fantasy Football Takeaway: Should You Draft Kenneth Walker in 2026?
Here’s the part that stings.
I wasn’t wrong about Walker.
I was early.
Fantasy football punishes early adopters. If you draft the breakout one
year too soon, you eat the volatility and someone else reaps the reward. It’s
like buying stock before the earnings report or investing in tech before the
market catches up. The indicators are there. The flashes are there. The usage
just isn’t.
Kenneth Walker didn’t suddenly become elite in the playoffs.
The workload did.
If he stays in Seattle and the committee disappears, he’s a top-10 back
next year. If he signs somewhere that feeds him 20+ touches per game, he might
flirt with top-five territory.
Which brings me to my official 2026 fantasy recommendation:
Final Thought: Maybe Don’t Draft Him…So I Can
Please, nobody draft Kenneth Walker.
He’s totally volatile. Definitely risky. Probably headed for another
frustrating split. You should absolutely let him slide.
Preferably to the middle of the second round.
Preferably to me.
Because this time, if the volume shows up in September instead of
January, I don’t plan on finishing fifth.
