Kenneth Walker III Historical Stats Vs. Arizona Cardinals: Why He's A Must-Start In Week 4

Kenneth Walker III has a strong track record against the Cardinals, averaging 16.4 PPR fantasy points per game in five career matchups.

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) warms up before the game against the New Orleans Saints at Lumen Field. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Kenneth Walker, the fourth-year running back who spent time at Wake Forest and Michigan State, enters Week 4’s Thursday Night Football primetime matchup with the Arizona Cardinals as the RB17 in fantasy football (PPR formats). The veteran has tallied 163 rushing yards on 39 carries, three rushing touchdowns, and five receptions for an additional 29 receiving yards through three weeks of the NFL season. He’s averaging just north of 14 fantasy points per game and is coming off a two-game stretch in which he’s scored all three of his touchdowns after a rough Week 1 outing against the San Francisco 49ers.

This week, Walker faces an Arizona Cardinals defense that has surrendered the eighth-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. And the veteran has historically enjoyed a ton of success against his division rival. Let’s take a look at how he’s fared in his previous five matchups against Arizona.

Kenneth Walker Historical Stats Vs. Arizona Cardinals

According to StatsMuse, Walker has tallied 430 rushing yards on 106 carries (4.1 YPC) and three rushing touchdowns against Arizona over five previous matchups with his NFC West division rival. He’s also added 12 receptions for 94 more yards via the passing attack. Overall, he’s averaging a rock-solid 86.0 rushing yards on 21.2 attempts, 0.6 rushing touchdowns, and 2.4 receptions for 18.8 receiving yards. That comes out to a very respectable 16.4 fantasy points per game in PPR formats.

StatsMuse

While all three of his rushing touchdowns against the Cardinals came back in 2022, he’s never failed to produce 80 scrimmage yards in any of the five matchups. And he’s eclipsed 100 all-purpose yards in three of those five games. 

Kenneth Walker III Week 4 Fantasy Football Outlook

Walker is on a two-game scoring streak, faces a defense that ranks in the bottom 10 at defending opposing running backs (as well as a team he’s enjoyed success against in recent seasons), and Zach Charbonnet is coming off a foot injury that has him listed as Questionable on this week’s injury report. All of this signals a potential monster game for the veteran. 

Regardless of whether Charbonnet is active, Walker will see a ton of touches in this game as Seattle attempts to chew some clock and keep the ball out of Kyler Murray’s hands. While Sam Darnold has been solid over the first three weeks of the season, this is a team that wants to run the ball down the opposing team’s throat.

Walker offers enticing upside, and Seattle leaned into a workhorse role for him in 2024 (18.1 touches per game). His expanded usage in the passing game adds a layer of weekly stability, while his touchdown potential gives him the juice to swing matchups. He was drafted as an RB2 this draft season and has slightly exceeded expectations three weeks into the season. 

That said, durability remains the elephant in the room—he’s missed 10 games across three seasons and has yet to rise above mid-tier RB2 territory. Still, if he can stay healthy, a season in the range of 1,200 total yards, 10 scores, and 40 receptions is well within reach.

Tonight against the Cardinals, I’d expect about 60 rushing yards, 20 receiving yards, and a 50% chance at finding the end zone. He could enjoy even more success if Seattle takes an early lead and game script shifts in his favor but on the road, the Seahawks are slight underdogs. Still, fantasy football managers should fire the veteran up without hesitation, especially given his previous success against his NFC West rival.