So far this season, Kenneth Walker III has made the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense operate, as the reigning Super Bowl MVP leads the league in rushing yards per game and total touchdowns, and he ranks sixth in all-purpose yards.
However, the Chiefs could be without their talisman on Sunday when they face the Atlanta Falcons, as Walker experienced groin soreness and was held out of practice on Friday, per the Kansas City Star’s Sam McDowell.
Walker has previously missed time with lower-body injuries, including a pair of groin issues during the offseason, so it’s conceivable that Kansas City could opt for a cautious approach with its star. He’s officially listed as questionable.
If Walker ends up not suiting up in Week 10, the Chiefs could turn heavily to backup Emmett Johnson, who’s been the most-added running back in Yahoo Fantasy Sports leagues today and is now rostered in 33% of leagues.
Results and Usage
With 185 touches, 1,044 yards, and 11 touchdowns, Walker has accounted for more than twice as many scrimmage yards as any other player on Kansas City’s roster, and he’s recorded at least 25 DraftKings DFS points in five of his eight games. With him healthy, there would be no room for any other fantasy-viable running back in the Chiefs’ offense. Still, Johnson has made his presence felt in his limited snaps, turning 26 carries into 111 yards and a score and adding 237 receiving yards and a touchdown from 14 catches (16 targets). Kansas City’s offense has been so Walker-centric that Johnson actually ranks third on the team in total yards.
Johnson isn’t Walker, who continues to rank near the top of the league in pretty much every statistical category, but Pro Football Focus considers him the 11th-best back in football, well behind Walker (first) but ahead of players like Kyle Monangai, Derrick Henry, and Christian McCaffrey. In fact, Johnson has posted the highest receiving grade of any running back, with Jahmyr Gibbs and Walker right behind him, and he ranks eighth league-wide in receiving yards among running backs. Every running back with more has at least twice as many targets except for Rhamondre Stevenson, who’s turned his 31 targets into 258 yards. In fact, he’d lead the league in yards per target if he hit the minimum threshold.
Future Outlook
It’s hard to imagine that the Chiefs will suddenly have Johnson run 20 times per game like Walker does, given that he’s never taken more than eight in a game. He’s also fairly efficient, averaging 4.3 yards per carry, but Walker’s 5.5 yards per carry is on a completely different level. Johnson only had one collegiate season as the undisputed bellcow, when he led the Big Ten with 251 carries and 1.451 yards as a redshirt junior. He has very different strengths than Walker, who’s a far more patient, balanced runner; Johnson is more of a straightforward charger, though he’s actually posted a higher elusiveness score than Walker this season.
In any case, Johnson should provide plenty of value as a receiver. Kansas City’s trade for Indianapolis Colts wideout Josh Downs should help Andy Reid feel more confident that he can ask Patrick Mahomes to drop back instead of relying on Johnson to pound the ball on the ground. Mahomes has loved to dump it off this season, as he ranks dead last in the league in intended air yards per passing attempt, and Johnson has produced nearly as well on short and behind-the-line throws as Walker has. Mahomes has historically prioritized his running backs in the passing game; in 2022, arguably his best season, he helped veteran Jerick McKinnon rank fourth among all running backs in receiving yards and lead all running backs in touchdowns.
Thankfully, for Johnson, Atlanta should make it easy. This season, the Falcons have given up the third-most FPTS per game to opposing running backs, including the third-most catches to the position. In part, that’s because Atlanta has done a decent job forcing pressure, and it could welcome back one of its best defensive playmakers in a more significant role if James Pearce Jr., who made his season debut in Week 9 after an eight-game personal conduct suspension, ends up playing (he’s questionable with a back injury). The Falcons have also allowed the 10th-most yards per carry.
