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Is Kenneth Walker III Still Undervalued in Redraft Leagues?
After being named the MVP of Super Bowl LX in February, running back Kenneth Walker III signed a three-year, $43 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs in March. The 25-year-old has been a productive player over the past four years as a member of the Seattle Seahawks, averaging 1,140 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns per season. However, he's never recorded more than 255 touches in a season and had his 2025 workload with the Seahawks impacted by the presence of Seattle back Zach Charbonnet (knee). In Kansas City, Walker III profiles as the clear number one back and should see all the touches he can handle. As long as he can stay healthy, Walker III may currently be undervalued in redraft formats as a lower-end RB1.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Emmett Johnson Offers High-End Dynasty Handcuff Appeal in Kansas City
After a highly productive career at the University of Nebraska, running back Emmett Johnson was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Johnson dominated the Big Ten in 2025, recording 1,821 scrimmage yards and 15 touchdowns on 297 touches across 12 games. His path to the starting job with the Chiefs is blocked by running back Kenneth Walker III, whom Kansas City signed to a big-money deal in free agency in March. However, Johnson could emerge as the team's RB2 in 2026 if he can beat out fellow Kansas City backs Emari Demercado and Brashard Smith. Walker III was fully healthy in 2025, but he missed 10 games over the first three seasons of his NFL career from 2022 to 2024. If Johnson establishes himself as the primary backup running back for the Chiefs, his three-down skill set makes him a high-end handcuff option for fantasy managers. In dynasty formats, Johnson's stock is rising entering his rookie campaign.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Kenneth Walker III has Work to Do Before Becoming a Complete Back
When asked if there is anything that new running back Kenneth Walker III can improve at, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy pointed to pass-blocking and receiving, according to Nick Roesch of Heavy.com. The Chiefs made a big splash in free agency by signing Walker, the Super Bowl MVP with the Seattle Seahawks to close out last season, and with the return of Bieniemy, he's expected to be part of a much-improved rushing attack for KC. "First of all, what I want Kenneth to work at is just understanding that we just have to become a better player when the ball is not in our hands," Bieniemy said. The 25-year-old former second-round pick (41st overall) by Seattle in 2022 out of Michigan State had his second 1,000-yard rushing season in 2025 and added five rushing TDs, but he really took off in the postseason, gaining 313 yards and four TDs on 65 carries over three games. Walker is no stranger to lower-body injuries in his NFL career, but with the Chiefs looking to make him more of a complete back, he'll clearly be in the RB1 conversation as a top-12 fantasy back in his first season in the AFC West.
Source: Heavy.com - Nick Roesch
Source: Heavy.com - Nick Roesch
Can Brashard Smith Be Dropped in Dynasty Leagues?
Inconsistency and a lack of a true bell cow atop the Chiefs' running back depth chart allowed ample opportunity for Brashard Smith to carve out a meaningful role as a 2025 rookie, but the seventh-round pick out of SMU was never able to capitalize. Appearing in all 17 games, Smith ran for only 151 yards on a 3.4-yard-per-carry clip, adding another 172 yards through the air and scoring his only touchdown of the season in a Week 17 loss to the Broncos. Kansas City added the top free agent running back on the market in Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III before spending a fifth-round pick on arguably the best receiving back in the 2026 rookie class, Emmett Johnson. The Chiefs rounded out their depth chart with the low-cost addition of veteran Emari Demercado, who had been hyper-efficient in his limited work with the Cardinals, averaging almost 7.9 yards per attempt over the past two seasons. Smith has accordingly been pushed to the bubble of most dynasty rosters, and with no clear path to fantasy relevance, he has fallen to RB74 in RotoBaller's dynasty rankings, making him a drop candidate in all but the deepest leagues.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Kenneth Walker III One of Dynasty's Biggest Risers for 2026
Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III has had a storybook run over the past three-plus months, signing a three-year, $43 million deal shortly after earning Super Bowl MVP honors, and those accomplishments have not been ignored by dynasty managers. Walker's consensus dynasty ranking has risen more than ten spots since January, and he lands at RB10 in RotoBaller's latest dynasty rankings. After sharing a Seattle backfield with 2023 second-round pick Zach Charbonnet for the past three seasons, Walker has a chance to handle a true bellcow role in a Kansas City offense looking to rebound from a disappointing 2025 season, and capable of doing so if two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes can return to form after a season-ending ACL injury. The Chiefs spent fifth-round draft capital on pass-catching running back Emmett Johnson, but aside from Walker, no back on the roster has ever cracked 60 carries in a season. While he has yet to top the RB16 finish from his 2022 rookie campaign, at only 25 years old, Walker is one of the easiest calls for a true fantasy breakout in 2025, and the 29-touch, 161-yard performance he last put forth in a Super Bowl-winning effort could become a repeatable statline in Andy Reid's offense.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Emmett Johnson the Handcuff to Roster in Kansas City?
Kansas City Chiefs running back Emmett Johnson will open his career in a depth role, but his every-down skill set makes him an intriguing handcuff in case prized free agent signing Kenneth Walker III misses any time. Johnson doesn't have game-changing speed, but he does have a proven track record as a ball-carrier and pass-catcher in the Big 10. He led the conference with 1,451 rushing yards as a redshirt junior in 2025, and he also impressed with 370 receiving yards and 15 total touchdowns. Walker is currently the Chiefs' every-down back, and Emari Demercado or Brashard Smith could rotate in as change-of-pace options. However, we question whether Demercado or Smith is capable of handling an every-down role if Walker goes down. Johnson could be better suited for that workload, making him an appealing dynasty stash at a low cost. He projects as a late second-round pick in 2026 rookie drafts.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Brashard Smith Destined to Become Special Teams Player?
Kansas City Chiefs running back Brashard Smith is currently listed as No. 2 on the RB depth chart for the Chiefs behind new starter Kenneth Walker III, but the 23-year-old has fallen all the way to No. 74 in RotoBaller's dynasty RB rankings despite Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco both departing in free agency in the offseason. In addition to Walker, the Chiefs signed Emarci Demercado in free agency and selected Emmett Johnson in the fifth round of this year's draft. Smith, who was a receiver in college at SMU, is elusive and can obviously catch the ball out of the backfied, but at just 5-foot-10 and 196 pounds, he lacks the size to challenge for a true workhorse RB1 role in the NFL, and he could be destined to see most of his snaps on special teams in KC if Johnson emerges as the team's best change-of-pace back behind Walker. In his rookie campaign in 2025 after the Chiefs took him in the seventh round, Smith saw 44 carries for 151 yards (3.4 yards per carry) and no touchdowns, although he added 25 catches for 172 yards and one touchdown through the air in 17 games (one start). Smith has PPR upside, but his dynasty stock has taken a hit due to the additions of Walker, Demercado, and Johnson.
Source: Pro Football Reference
Source: Pro Football Reference
