Who won Seahawks RB battle between Kenneth Walker III and Rashaad Penny

With the retirement of Chris Carson before training camp, the Seattle Seahawks have an interesting running back situation heading into the 2022 season. The effective, but oft-injured Rashaad Penny is now the veteran of the room but the team decided to add depth in the offseason by using a second-round pick on Michigan State tailback Ken Walker III.

Both guys have been limited in the preseason for various reasons so far. Penny sat out of the opener against the Steelers with a groin injury and subsequently sat against the Bears. He was expected to play during Friday’s preseason finale against the Cowboys, but was ruled out after testing positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, the rookie Walker took five carries for 19 yards in the preseason opener against the Steelers, but went down with a hernia injury shortly afterwards. He is expected to miss the regular season opener against the Broncos.

In both Penny and Walker’s absences, Travis Homer has gotten plenty of burn and has secured himself a backup role in the Seahawks’ offense. He has taken nine carries for 85 yards through two preseason games and has also caught three targets for 37 yards.

Verdict

Penny will be the Week 1 starter for the Seahawks and would’ve been RB1 even if Walker didn’t suffer a hernia injury.

Fantasy football implications

Both Penny and Walker are rated in the 30’s in average draft position for running backs in PPR leagues. There could be immense value for Penny but it all depends on if he can stay healthy enough to last the duration of the season.