Seattle Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III received some competition for touches in the backfield this offseason when the team spent a second-round pick on RB Zach Charbonnet in the 2023 NFL Draft.
What kind of impact will this have on Walker’s fantasy ceiling this season? Let’s take a closer look.
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Kenneth Walker III’s Fantasy Outlook for the 2023 NFL Season
Walker enjoyed a breakout rookie season in 2022. After barely factoring into the offense through the first five weeks of the year, the former Michigan State star got his opportunity as the starting RB and took off.
From Weeks 6-9, Walker scored six TDs to go with three performances with 100+ yards from scrimmage for an average of 28.7 fantasy points per game in PPR formats.
He had another fantastic stretch from Weeks 16-18 to close the season, posting three consecutive 100+ yard rushing performances. These stretches of top-25 finishes at the RB position had Walker shareholders excited for his fantasy potential in 2023.
Unfortunately, the Seahawks don’t care about your dynasty fantasy football team and selected one of the best RBs in this 2023 class in Charbonnet.
Zach Charbonnet showing why the @Seahawks used a 2nd-round pick on him 😤 @zachcharbon
📺: #DALvsSEA on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/L9mPiySUki pic.twitter.com/DcYD5XnpXd— NFL (@NFL)
Charbonnet possesses similar upside as a pure runner but showcased a lot more capability in the passing game during his days in college. The former UCLA Bruin enjoyed a target share of 14% prior to declaring for the NFL Draft.
While Walker did catch 27 passes as a rookie, Charbonnet’s 75 receptions in college dwarf Walker’s 19. The rookie likely projects as the better pass-catching option of the two.
If that is the case, in order for Walker to stay the highest-scoring fantasy RB in this backfield, he would need a dominating share of carries, especially in the red zone.
While I do think Walker will enter the season with the inside track to a leading role on the ground, he struggled in short-yardage situations last year. According to Inside Edge, Walker was stuffed 13 times in short-yardage scenarios in 2022, which was tied for third-most among RBs.
If Charbonnet is the better pass-catching option and Walker continues to struggle in short-yardage, could there be some concerns about the second-year RB returning the value on his current ADP? It seems like some of those concerns could be valid.
Is Walker a Good Fantasy Pick?
Walker has dealt with a groin injury for most of this preseason but appears ready to go for Week 1. He’s still an explosive and physical runner who flashed plenty of playmaking ability as a rookie.
Unfortunately, the narrative about Charbonnet significantly capping Walker’s fantasy ceiling is valid. He is a real threat to get Walker off the field on all three downs.
MORE: 2023 Fantasy Football Player Projections
In 2022, Walker had six games with 20+ carries, but are we sure he will hit that total again with Charbonnet around?
Walker’s price tag in the fourth round is a bit expensive for a back that isn’t guaranteed the lion’s share of work on the ground and projects as the weaker of the two as an option in the passing game. The threat of a timeshare in this backfield is real.
The upside is certainly there, but I’d rather draft Charbonnet a couple of rounds later.
- PFN Consensus: 40th overall
- ADP: 40th overall
