Kenneth Walker III was the second RB taken in the 2022 NFL Draft with the 41st overall pick by the Seahawks. After the Seahawks expended high draft capital on Walker, he was immediately tabbed as a breakout sleeper in year one. However, a recent hernia injury puts fantasy owners in a tough spot regarding where to rank and draft Walker.
Below, we'll dive a bit deeper into Walker's fantasy outlook for 2022 and try to figure out if he's worth drafting at his current ADP.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2022 fantasy cheat sheet
Kenneth Walker Injury Update: How long will Seahawks rookie RB be out?
UPDATE: Coach Pete Carroll told reporters on Aug. 30 that Walker "feels way better," but beat writer Brady Henderson suggested Walker's Week 1 status is still up in the air, as Carroll also said there's no timetable for his return.
On Tuesday, Aug. 16th, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll told the media Walker sustained "a little hernia thing."
Seahawks RB Ken Walker III didn't practice today. Said Pete Carroll: “Ken’s got a little hernia thing that he’s working on and we’ve got to get through that. So I don’t know what to tell you yet, but it’s something that we can attend to and all that ... "
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) August 16, 2022
Usually, hernia injuries aren't just a little thing, as this further complicates the Seahawks' backfield. Then, on Wednesday, Aug. 17th, Carroll told reporters Walker is undergoing a "procedure."
Seahawks’ HC Pete Carroll told reporters today that rookie RB Kenneth Walker is undergoing a “procedure”, but the team has said it is not a sports hernia.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 17, 2022
NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport added to that with a report later on Wednesday:
My understanding is that #Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker underwent surgery to repair a hernia — not what is sometimes called a “sports hernia” or core muscle injury — and he’s expected to make a full recovery. The plan is for him to be out there Week 1 if all goes well.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 17, 2022
Obviously, Walker is still at risk of being out or limited over the first couple weeks, but considering he was already expected to start the year as, at best, in a committee with Rashaad Penny, this might not affect Walker's draft status as much as you might initially think.
2022 STANDARD RANKINGS:
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Kenneth Walker fantasy ranking and ADP
SN Fantasy has Kenneth Walker as the No. 32 running back in PPR formats and No. 31 RB in standard scoring formats. Once we know more about the severity of Walker's injury, we'll update his ranking accordingly.
Walker’s ADP currently sits at No. 87 per FantasyPros. Walker was looking like a potential ADP gem given his upside and opportunity for touches, but now that he'll likely miss the rest of the preseason, his ADP might end up being a bit too high.
2022 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers | Top 200 | Superflex
Kenneth Walker's fantasy outlook 2022
At the end of the day, fantasy drafts are always about extracting value. If Walker is slated to be healthy for Week 1, he'll likely be scooped up by the sixth or seventh round, which is about right. However, he'll obviously carry risks. Prior to suffering the hernia injury, he was looking like a potential draft-day steal after his 1,636-yard, 18-TD showing at Michigan State last season.
If Walker starts the season on the sidelines, fellow RB Rashaad Penny enters the RB2 conversation in both standard and PPR formats on a weekly basis. Penny is also currently dealing with a groin injury himself, but that's not nearly as severe as Walker's hernia issue. (Though Penny's own injury history has to be factored in.)
2022 FANTASY SLEEPERS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | One from each team
When on the field, Walker projects to be a bit more valuable in standard scoring leagues than PPR formats, as there's a chance he sees more work on early downs. One area of his game that needed some improvement coming out of the draft was his ability to aid in pass protection. Walker didn't do much in the receiving game last year (13 receptions, 89 yards) but is an underrated pass-catching option that can produce if given more opportunities.
Ultimately, Walker is shaping up as one of the biggest boom-or-bust picks of 2022. Seattle will be limited offensively, which hurts his overall update, but as a talented, tough runner, he has legit RB2 upside if he's getting the bulk of the carries.
2022 RANKINGS TIERS & DRAFT STRATEGY:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs
If you're in deeper leagues or just curious about who else could get more run in Seattle's backfield with Walker sidelined, expect RBs DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer to see an uptick in usage. Make sure to stay in the loop on future updates involving Walker leading into your fantasy drafts.
