Kenneth Walker just might be the perfect combination of ceiling and floor RB at his price in fantasy drafts. He’s slated to be the primary RB for the Seahawks this season, and there’s even a chance that he’s the bell cow based on OC Ryan Grubb’s comments. Grubb called him a 3-tool guy (meaning he can contribute in all three phases: running the ball, catching the ball, and in pass protection) and that he’s “electric out of the backfield as a pass-catcher.” When you think about Kenneth Walker, you don’t imagine a guy that’s known for what he can do out of the backfield… but could he be getting slept on?
Among 45 total running backs to earn at least 30 or more targets in 2023, Walker ranked 4th in yards/reception, 2nd in yards after catch/reception, 1st in yards after contact/reception, 1st in missed tackles forced/reception, 7th in fantasy points/route run, and 11th in yards/route run.
Those aren’t just serviceable numbers, they’re (dare we say)… electric?
Ryan Grubb runs a pass-first offense. His team was 1st and 2nd in pass yards/game in all of college football over his last two seasons in Washington. Translation: we should see more routes and more receptions for Kenneth Walker. He only ran a route on 37% of QB dropbacks last year (per FantasyLife’s utilization report), and if this moves up to 50%+, we could be talking RB1 numbers pretty easily. Remember, a target is worth 2.5x a carry in PPR.
Walker finished as a mid-RB2 last year despite a season marred with injuries and Zach Charbonnet eating into his workload. The new coaches seem to want to move this backfield back into Walker’s hands.
It’s worth noting that the Seahawks offensive line is likely to be one of the worst units in the NFL, but checking it down to your RB is one of the best ways to counteract the pressure. And as we know, Walker is able to make plays on his own – evidenced by him being first among all RBs with 200+ carries in missed tackles forced/attempt last year (ahead of Bijan, Breece, CMC). And if you’re worried about Zach Charbonnet stealing goal line carries just because he’s bigger, I wouldn’t. Walker had 5 goal line carries to Charbonnet’s 1 last year, and Walker has the 8th most rushing TDs among RBs over the last two seasons.
Another thing to note about new OC Ryan Grubb - expect more 11 personnel (3 WR sets). Why does it matter for Walker? He faced stacked boxes on 19% of his attempts last year. I’d expect 10% or lower this year, and that’ll help open up the run game even more in addition to a boost in his workload in the receiving game.