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September 9 update: Walker was a DNP once again and there’s no reason to think this will change before the final injury report on Saturday.
September 8 update: Walker is “highly unlikely” to play against the Broncos in Week 1, per Jordan Schultz. It never really looked like he was going to play after his hernia surgery, but there appears to still be a chance he’ll play in Week 2. Rashaad Penny will get all the work he can handle.
September 6 update: Walker was “running and catching some balls,” according to coach Pete Carroll, but he also called his timeline to return “unpredictable,” per Michael-Shawn Dugar. It doesn’t seem like he’ll be ready for Week 1, but we’ll wait to see.
The Seattle Seahawks were without promising rookie running back Kenneth Walker III for the duration of the preseason due to a hernia injury. The second-round draft pick is slowly making progress in his recovery as the Seahawks are taking it one step at a time, according to head coach Pete Carroll. Walker III was among the biggest standouts in training camp and was lining up to handle a significant amount of carries, however, his NFL debut remains to be seen as it sounds like a Week 1 appearance is unlikely.
Fantasy football implications
Walker III will have a significant role in the backfield once he returns, but for the time being expect Rashaad Penny to be the leading running back for Seattle. Given that both Caroll, as well as General Manager John Schneider, touted him during training camp, Walker III still holds great value in fantasy. The reality is that fantasy managers will just have to play a wait-and-see approach with the Seahawks rookie.
Travis Homer sits behind Walker III on the depth chart and could be a potential option for fantasy rosters, pending the rookie’s return. DeeJay Dallas could also get a few carries here and there in his absence, given that Seattle more or less split carries evenly between Penny (119 rushing attempts) and Alex Collins (108 rushing attempts) last season.