Conference Championship Running Back Projections & Rankings: Kenneth Walker III Rises

Conference Championship running back projections and updated rankings highlight Kenneth Walker III’s rise and shifting postseason workloads.

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) leaves the field following an NFC Divisional Round game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

When running through the running back projections for the championship rounds of the postseason, I listed Zach Charbonnet (knee) as out for this weekend’s matchup against the Rams. Kenneth Walker picks up a workhorse opportunity. Seattle has Cam Akers on their practice squad, suggesting he moves to RB2 status for the Seahawks’ next game. For now, I have Velus Jones listed as the Seahawks’ backup running back.

In his first two games vs. the Rams, Walker was a significant part of the Seahawks’ offense in back matchups.

• Road: 16/67/1 with three catches for 44 yards
• Home: 11/100/1 with three catches for 64 yards.

Seattle’s backs rushed for 242 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries with 12 catches for 140 yards in their two games against Los Angeles.

Conference Championship Running Back Projections & Rankings

Shawn Childs

New England Patriots Backfield

Over the two weeks in the postseason, TreVeyon Henderson has only been on the field for 39.5% of the Patriots' plays due to gaining only 2.5 yards per carry (21/52). His role in the passing games (two catches for seven yards on three targets) has also diminished. 

Rhamondre Stevenson has carried New England’s offense over the past month (464 combined yards on 41 carries – 7.3 yards per rush, with 14 catches and five touchdowns). Over this span, he averaged 22.60 fantasy points per game in PPR formats.

Los Angeles Rams Backfield

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) is seen during warmups prior to the game against the Detroit Lions at SoFi Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Rams gave Kyren Williams (63%) and Blake Corum (37%) the same percentage of snaps in their two playoff games. Williams gained 192 combined yards on 34 carries with three touchdowns and six catches. Corum (17/64 with two catches for 13 yards) has found smaller running lanes (3.8 yards per rush). Here are their combined stats from their first two games against Seattle:

• Corum – 22/58/1 with two catches for eight yards on four targets.
• Williams – 35/161/1 with four catches for 20 yards on eight targets.

Denver Broncos Backfield

The postseason hasn’t treated RJ Harvey well over his first two games. He gained only 48 rushing yards on 21 carries while failing to score. Denver looked his way 10 times in the passing game, leading to six catches for another 51 yards. Jaleel McLaughlin continues to operate as their RB2 (10/62 with one catch for 17 yards), but he offers no playable fantasy value.