Running Back · Kansas City Chiefs · Age 25 · Michigan State · RB7 Half-PPR (Season 2026)
Kenneth Walker III is ranked RB7 (overall #13) for the Season of the 2026 NFL season in Half-PPR fantasy football by Hayden of The Underdog Football Show. ADP 15.8 — close to consensus.
Walker set to play with best OL and QB of his career as Reid's new Shady McCoy
The Chiefs signed Kenneth Walker to a 3-year, $43M contract with $28M guaranteed because their RB room has been dreadful for years. The combination of Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, C Creed Humphrey, and RG Trey Smith has elevated the rushing success rate, but it hasn't created nearly enough explosives. Compare that to the Seahawks, who have had a way worse OL than the Chiefs since 2022: That's all Walker, who finally got the backfield to himself down the stretch last year, resulting in a Super Bowl MVP. Walker's boom-bust style will smooth out with better interior blocking and an elite QB next to him, especially entering the actual prime of his career as a 25-year-old. The Chiefs are still relatively weak at receiver and seem to be hinting at a scheme change in 2026 with OC Eric Bieniemy back in house. They are going to run the ball more under center, I think. If they don't have the WRs to beat man coverage, then they need to punish light boxes and create explosives on the ground. It's why Walker was such a perfect fit this offseason. On top of that, Walker faces one of the shallowest RB depth charts. It's Emari Demercado ($500k guaranteed), undersized 5th-round rookie Emmett Johnson, and converted WR Brashard Smith behind him. Who is stealing any goal line touches? Who is preventing him from a career-best season as a receiver? If he sets a career high in touches per game (currently at 18) this season as expected, then Walker has a mid-range RB1 season well within his range, especially in half PPR best ball on Underdog. The Chiefs are 11th in projected points according to the betting markets, but Mahomes looks well ahead of schedule and should be in the starting lineup from the get go. We also have the history of Reid and RBs, dating back to Duce Staley, Brian Westbrook, Jamaal Charles, and LeSean McCoy, who is a great comp for Walker. In his final 3 seasons with McCoy, Shady's 17-game pace was 1825 scrimmage yards. Let's just hope Walker's core holds up.
Be the first to vote on Kenneth Walker III's Season 2026 ranking. Is Hayden too high or too low?
See where all Running Backs are ranked for the 2026 fantasy football season. Kenneth Walker III is currently RB7 among Running Backs.
→ View full Running Back rankings for 2026
Hayden is a fantasy football analyst for The Underdog Football Show, covering 2026 fantasy football with PPR and Half-PPR rankings, ADP comparisons, and weekly start/sit analysis. Rankings are updated regularly throughout the season. Hayden's "Best Bet" designations highlight players ranked higher than their ADP consensus, while "Fade" designations flag players the ranker believes are overvalued by the market.
By Hayden · The Underdog Football Show · Updated 2026-07-06