The Seattle Seahawks enter the 2023 NFL season with high expectations on offense. Most of those expectations are centered around the passing game, which will feature DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and rookie wideout Jaxson Smith-Njigba. On the ground, Seattle should give most of the work to second-year back Kenneth Walker, who nearly won AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2022. Here we’ll go over Walker’s outlook for the 2023 season.
2023 Fantasy Football: Kenneth Walker Profile
Recap of 2022 season
The Michigan State product missed the first game of 2022 before returning in Week 2. It took a few weeks for Walker to get his bearings but when he did, he took off. Walker had 88 yards on eight carries and a TD in Week 5 and never really looked back. From Week 6 to Week 18, Walker had 20+ carries in six games. He would rush for 100+ yards in five of those contests with eight TDs in that span. Walker would go on to finish with just over 1,000 yards rushing and nine TDs in 15 games. He also caught 27 passes for 165 yards.
Updated Seattle Seahawks outlook
The Seahawks have had a strong offseason, signing QB Geno Smith to an extension. Seattle drafted Smith-Njigba in the first round in 2023 to add another dynamic receiver. The Seahawks also spent a second-round pick on UCLA RB Zach Charbonnet.
Best-case scenario
Is for Walker to just stay healthy. The Seahawks’ passing attack should be elite, which will open up Walker to run free for most of the season. Seattle could also use the play-action pass with 3-4 wide sets and Walker in the backfield, which would be very deadly. If all goes well, Walker has upside to finish among the top-5 RBs in fantasy football. It’s just a matter of healthy and opportunity.
Worst-case scenario
Injuries and a lopsided offense. If Walker misses any time that’s always a negative. He has a bit of history and is already dealing with something during the preseason/training camp. On top of that, the Seahawks may just throw the ball a ton given the talent at wide receiver. Smith is also known to run a bit, which would take away carries from Walker. Charbonnet is dealing with injury but was a high draft pick. Seattle wouldn’t have spent that if it didn’t want to use the UCLA product right away. That could also eat into Walker’s touches. All of that could culminate in Walker finishing closer to the tail-end of the top-20 at RB rather than inside the top-10.
2023 prediction
As long as Walker can shake the injuries, there’s no reason he should hit over 1,000 rushing yards with double-digit TDs. He almost did that last season in 15 games and 4-5 of those he was used scarcely. There’s reason to believe the Seahawks will be playing ahead plenty this season. If that’s the case, Walker should get between 15-20 carries in most contests. He could be used more in the passing game, which would make him an all-around fantasy back. Walker has top-10 fantasy RB potential and should be a solid RB2 with upside.
