Kenneth Walker III enters the 2025 season with renewed optimism despite battling a persistent foot injury that has required careful management this preseason. The Seattle Seahawks have taken a cautious approach with their star running back, strategically limiting his practice time to ensure he’s hopefully ready for the regular season opener.
What Is Kenneth Walker III’s Injury?
Walker is managing an ongoing foot issue that has plagued him this preseason. The team has held him out of practices, but there are very few concerns that he won’t be ready for the opener. Walker returned to multiple full practices this past week.
If Walker is limited or out, Zach Charbonnet would be a workhorse. As things currently stand, he may have a bigger role than he has had while Walker has been healthy in previous years anyway.
Recent reports indicate Walker has returned to full practices, signaling that the foot issue shouldn’t derail his availability for Week 1. Fantasy managers can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that while the injury bears monitoring, it’s not expected to sideline him when games begin to count.
This season, the real excitement surrounding Walker stems from Seattle’s offensive transformation under new coordinator Klint Kubiak, whose Shanahan-influenced system could unlock the running back’s true potential.
Kubiak’s track record of maximizing running back production, combined with Seattle’s investment in offensive line talent, creates an intriguing bounce-back narrative. With favorable quarterback continuity through Sam Darnold’s familiarity with similar systems, Walker finds himself in an ideal position to exceed expectations and justify his fourth-round fantasy draft position.
Walker’s Fantasy Football Outlook
Walker is coming off a disappointing season on the ground, where he only averaged a career-low 3.7 yards per carry. Still, Walker is getting a massive upgrade in scheme this year, as former Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is now calling plays in Seattle. This gives fans hope that 2025 will be a season of redemption for Walker.
Kubiak comes from the Shanahan coaching tree, which is known as the most running-back-friendly scheme in the NFL.
While there are concerns about Seattle’s offensive line, the team invested a first-rounder in a pro-ready guard in Grey Zabel, while Charles Cross is a former first-round pick as well. Given the upgrade in scheme, it wouldn’t be shocking to see significant improvement from this group.
As for the quarterback transition from Geno Smith to Darnold, we could see the former Viking continue to perform well because of the scheme fit. Darnold has played for Kyle Shanahan and Kevin O’Connell in the last two years, each coming from the same coaching tree as Kubiak.
With that in mind, we don’t need to worry too much about offensive line and quarterback play. Prioritize the scheme fit here and confidently take Walker in the fourth round.
