Open Nav
Show Navigation
Show Menu
FANTASY FOOTBALL NEWS

Kenneth Walker Reclaims Backfield on Big Night

By Matt Schauf | Updated on Tue, 01 Oct 2024, 8:37 AM EDT
Kenneth Walker III Headshot

Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III took control of the backfield in his return from an oblique injury Monday night. He claimed 86% of the team's RB carries in the loss to the Lions, rushing for 80 yards and 3 TDs on his 12 carries. RB Zach Charbonnet matched Walker with 5 targets but also trailed him in pass routes, 32-19, according to Pro Football Focus.

2024 Fantasy Football Impact

Both of Charbonnet's carries came late in the fourth quarter. He proved more involved in the passing game earlier, but it's clear that Walker leads this backfield when healthy.

Overall passing volume got inflated by a whopping 90 offensive plays for Seattle, including 61 dropbacks for QB Geno Smith.

Walker looked good on a night that included three runs of 20+ yards. One of those was a field-reversing 21-yard bolt for a fourth-quarter TD.

Walker now has 4 TDs through two games and is averaging 5.7 yards per rush. Neither of those rates is going to hold up. But he's an easy weekly starter going forward.

Next comes a posh Week 5 matchup with the Giants at home.

Other Winners & Losers

Charbonnet remains a high-level handcuff, who dominated backfield work for the two games Walker missed. But he's unlikely to offer standalone value when Walker's healthy.

Charbonnet got 10 touches in Week 1, with Walker in the lineup, including just 2 receptions.

Matt Schauf Author Image
Matt Schauf, Editor
Matt has earned two Fantasy Pros accuracy awards for IDP rankings and won thousands of dollars as a player across best ball, dynasty, and high-stakes fantasy formats. He has been creating fantasy football content for more than 20 years, with work featured by Sporting News, Rotoworld, Athlon, Sirius XM, and others. He's been with Draft Sharks since 2011.
Premium Content Premium ContentWeek 16 DraftKings Tournament Picks

Week 16 DraftKings Tournament Picks

9:25pm EST 12/21/24

Is paying up at TE the key to winning DraftKings tournaments this week? Here are the top stacks and positional plays for Week 16.

Read More »
Premium Content Premium ContentWeek 16 FanDuel Picks

Week 16 FanDuel Picks

3:18pm EST 12/20/24

Get the FanDuel cash game and tournament picks for all of your Week 16 contests.

Read More »
Week 16 Fantasy Football Running Back Preview

Week 16 Fantasy Football Running Back Preview

2:30pm EST 12/20/24

Jahmyr Gibbs gets the backfield basically to himself after the David Montgomery injury. But he was already starting. Many other RBs will make for tougher calls ...

Read More »
Compare Plans » Compare Plans »