KennethWalker III

News: 3 days agoWalker carried the ball 21 times for 69 yards and caught four of five targets for 15 yards in Sunday's 28-24 loss to the Broncos.

Spin: The star running back was held below 100 scrimmage yards for a second straight game, but Walker watched his rookie backup, Emmett Johnson, erupt for a 5-128-1 line on five targets and take his only carry for 15 yards. Walker is still the clear No. 1 in the Kansas City backfield, but Johnson may have earned more consistent work with Sunday's impressive effort -- touches which might come at Walker's expense. He'll head into a Week 9 meeting with the Jets second in the race for the NFL rushing crown with 770 yards, just behind Bijan Robinson's 780.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Walker signed with the Chiefs after spending his first four NFL seasons with the Seahawks. The reigning Super Bowl MVP and PFF's highest-graded running back from 2025, Walker is poised for feature-back duties in a good, Andy Reid-led offense. Having worked in a committee most of last season, Walker was limited to only five touchdowns and 11.3 fantasy points per game (both career lows), but he still generated 252 touches and a career-high 1,309 yards. He has yet to finish a season better than 18th in fantasy points (12th on a per-game basis) and has missed at least two games in three of four seasons in the league, but the 25-year-old's ability to contribute at a high level as a rusher and receiver is enough to position him as, at least, a fringe RB1 in 2026.