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Update: Pete Carroll said on Tuesday that Walker is making “big progress” every day and feeling more comfortable, but still is uncertain about the rookie’s availability for the season opener.
The Seattle Seahawks drafted Kenneth Walker III in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He was expected to add depth to the running back room but found himself as the backup after Chris Carson retired due to injury. According to head coach Pete Carroll, Walker dealt with a hamstring injury in the offseason but is now sidelined while recovering from hernia surgery.
Kenneth Walker’s injury
Injury suffered: Hernia, non-sports
When it happened: August 17
Carroll remains not telling us the whole picture around Walker’s injury. It began as a hernia issue and then developed into something that needed surgery. The only expansion that Carroll gave was that it was a non-sports hernia. There isn’t a timetable for the recovery for Walker as we are now just two weeks away from the regular season.
Latest training camp updates
Carroll informed the media on Monday, August 22 that there isn’t a timetable for Walker’s return. There had been hope that Walker would be ready for Week 1, but that seems to be up in the air now.
2022 Fantasy football outlook
At FantasyPros, Kenneth Walker is being drafted this year as the RB36 in half-PPR formats. Teammate Rashaad Penny is being drafted as RB30. He has great upside in this offense, even as a backup. The only problem is that he has had two injuries before the start of the regular season, creating worry. Penny has his own injury history, so if Walker can stay healthy, he will likely outperform his ADP. This projects as a split backfield which hurts the starter Penny but elevates the backup Walker when he is healthy.