Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has been a strong proponent of having multiple running backs in his system and, if the post-Marshawn Lynch era has shown us anything, it is that Carroll has very little loyalty to an incumbent starter. He tends to go with the hot hand regardless if it hurts someone’s feelings. In 2018, Carroll drafted Rashaad Penny in the 1st round of the draft, but that was the season that Chris Carson emerged as the starter.
When Carson suffered a career-ending neck injury last season, Penny, who had been a career bust until the 2nd half of the 2021 season, suddenly showed what he could do and earned a 1-year contract to remain in Seattle. Perhaps knowing that Carson was done, Seattle used the 41st pick in the 2022 draft to select Kenneth Walker III — a significant investment considering some of the higher rated quarterbacks in the Class of 2022 were still available.
Below, we look at Kenneth Walker‘s 2022 fantasy football average draft position (ADP) and where you should draft him.
In the post-Russell Wilson era, the Seahawks are going to emphasize the run and Walker will be in the middle of all of it. Penny will likely get the 1st opportunity, but don’t sleep on Walker’s potential to step into the spotlight and shine on his own.
Kenneth Walker’s ADP: 104.29
(ADP data courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com; last updated at time of this publishing – ADPs continually change as more drafts occur)
Walker’s ADP has him standing in front of a pair of players who are entering the season as the perceived No. 2 guy in their offenses and well behind Penny, who has an ADP at 80.36.
Walker is the 37th ranked running back, which lands him more than a round behind Rhamondre Stevenson (New England Patriots) and slightly ahead of Melvin Gordon (Denver Broncos) at 108.90 and James Cook (Buffalo Bills) at 111.18.
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Kenneth Walker’s 2021 stats
Games: 0
Carries | rushing yards: 0 | 0
Rushing touchdowns: 0
Receptions | receiving yards: 0 | 0
Receiving touchdowns: 0
Where should you draft Walker?
The Doak Walker Award winner at Michigan State last season, Walker was viewed by numerous scouts as the best running back in the 2022 draft. That shouldn’t be lost on those in fantasy circles.
Walker has the ideal lower-body strength you look for in a running back and his ability to slip tackles and gain extra yards will get noticed when the season starts.
As the offense moves on from Wilson and starts over, nobody is safe to hold their jobs if someone else can do better. The emphasis will be on running the ball more due to substandard quarterback depth and Walker has the chance to be one of the big late-round sleepers in fantasy drafts this year. He may have to work his way past Penny, but it wouldn’t be the 1st time that has happened in Seattle.
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