Kyren Williams vs Kenneth Walker

“Kyren Williams slotted behind Omarion Hampton and only barely ahead of Jeremiyah Love is, frankly, scandalous. Williams is entering his age-26 season, so he certainly isn’t cooked.”

“Round 3: Kyren Williams (RB – LAR) Kyren Williams was the counter-pick, a player who’s kept sliding further down draft boards each offseason despite finishing as a top-10 running back in fantasy points per game last year. Much of the hesitation traces back to a well-known backfield split with a rookie teammate, but the full-season split was closer to 65-35 in Williams’ favor, not the even split many assume.”

“Drafting Perine robs you of a chance to find the next Kyren Williams—a late-round pick in 2023 who ran for 1,144 yards and scored 15 touchdowns that year.”

“You can likely snag him in the fifth or even sixth round. There, you are landing a player who has finished as the RB10, RB10, and RB2 in fantasy points per game since 2023. If you're still on the fence, know that Williams gets one of the five easiest schedules for running backs.”

“Kyren Williams catches a lot of flak, but much of it seems unwarranted. All the guy does is produce. He has three straight seasons of at least 1,100 rushing yards, 30-plus receptions, and 13 touchdowns. And yet, he's sitting all the way down at RB22 in dynasty rankings.”

“For the fourth straight season, there is a clear runway for Kyren to have another top 10 finish along with 10-plus touchdowns.”

“Corum only had one game above 40 percent of the snaps. Even with this stretch, Williams remained the lead back and was heavily relied on in the playoffs.”

“In points per game, he was two slots lower at RB11, averaging 15.5 points per outing. Williams does add a bit of production in the pass-catching game, which is a plus because Blake Corum doesn't catch the ball. However, when it comes to running the ball, Corum looked like the better option many times.”

“While Kyren Williams ran 259 times for 1,252 yards and 10 touchdowns, and caught 36 passes for 281 yards and three more scores, I believe he's in for a down season. Last season, Williams finished as the RB9 in PPR leagues.”

“Kyren Williams was the RB10 in fantasy points per game last season, marking his third straight year finishing inside the top 15. Blake Corum did eat into his playing time a bit, but Williams still held onto the valuable red-zone role.”

“Williams is valued a bit too highly across dynasty marketplaces for his projection moving forward.”

“Kyren Williams threw his support behind OT Warren McClendon, Jr. and reiterated that he was a staple along the team's offensive line last season. "I learned so much about Warren. I love him as a player and being out there on that field with him when I had the chance this year to do that with him. It was fun because he has that competitive mindset, competitive spirit."”

“They signed Kenneth Walker III in the offseason, and he should see more work in the passing game.”

“Round 9: Jadarian Price (RB – SEA) With Kenneth Walker III leaving for the Kansas City Chiefs, the Seahawks drafted Jadarian Price in the first round.”

“com/TZzPI8lssd — B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) July 27, 2026 Breakout Candidates Kenneth Walker should bring a new look of explosiveness into the Kansas City Chiefs ’ offense.”

“QB Health This season, the upside cases for Jonathan Taylor and Kenneth Walker III largely depend on the health and production of their QBs, who are coming off significant lower-body injuries.”

“You want these players over running backs like Jonathan Taylor , James Cook , Saquon Barkley and Kenneth Walker III , who rely more heavily on yardage and traditional rushing volume.”

“With his salivating mix of talent and efficiency, Walker should be an explosive RB1 in 2026.”

“We can’t expect that level of rushing production to continue into 2026. Not only will Mahomes’ mobility potentially be limited in his return from injury, but the addition of Kenneth Walker III should mean that the Chiefs’ run game is less disastrous, taking work off the franchise quarterback’s plate. With reduced rushing upside, Mahomes will need to ratchet up the passing production to be a top-five fantasy option.”

“Kenneth Walker III (KC) Kenneth Walker arrives in Kansas City as the Chiefs’ new lead back.”

“Despite splitting the workload with Zach Charbonnet for most of his career, he has averaged 13.4 PPR fantasy points per game, totaling 13.3 or more in all but one season. Don't be surprised if Walker takes advantage of a light box and dominates as the featured guy in a dangerous Kansas City offense.”

“Despite spending most of the time splitting the workload with Zach Charbonnet in Seattle, Walker has finished as a top-21 running back in non-PPR scoring every year of his career except the 2024 season, where he missed six games because of injury. Thankfully, he will finally get the chance to be a featured running back after the Chiefs invested significant money in him this offseason.”

“Walker finished with 1,027 rushing yards (his highest total since his rookie season in 2022), and started all 17 games for the first time in his career. Even in the midst of fending off Zach Charbonnet for touches, Walker helped carry Seattle to a playoff run, eventually taking over as the bell-cow back once Charbonnet was injured in the playoffs.”

“The most significant offseason addition on offense for the Chiefs was running back Kenneth Walker III, and their offseason actions would suggest they want to improve their running game, possibly leaning on Walker to take some work off Mahomes' plate in his return from knee surgery.”