Walker has another two-touchdown outing in Miami

Johnson has turned 14 touches into 103 scrimmage yards thus far. Evidently pleased with his fifth-round rookie, Reid wants to keep “allowing Emmett to grow,” in turn taking “a little bit of load off” starting RB Kenneth Walker. Reid notes that Walker wants the ball on every play and is not asking for a lighter workload, but Reid is seeking “a nice balance with those two in there,” which “keeps them even more fresh as the season goes on.” Walker, of course, remains an elite RB1. Johnson, however, should be rostered in all 12-team leagues as a high-upside bench stash that could return standalone value before long.

Walker has now notched 178 combined yards or more in each of his new team’s first two games to start the season. In addition to the gaudy yardage numbers, Walker saw 10 targets on 47 Patrick Mahomes pass attempts in the overtime victory, while accounting for all but four running back opportunities. His backfield opportunity share, touchdown equity, and pass game involvement make Walker a top-tier fantasy asset for those that invested a second-round pick in his services this offseason. The only micro-blemish on his record against the Colts was a sequence of carries at the end of the second quarter in which he was stuffed from the one-yard line on three straight plays, with the team eventually scoring on fourth down via a touchdown pass to Xavier Worthy. Walker remains a top-tier RB1 ahead of a road date with the much more forgiving Dolphins in Week 3.

Walker single-handedly out-gained the entire Denver offense on the evening as he was the clear point of emphasis in Patrick Mahomes’ first game back after tearing his ACL in 2025. He was fed seven carries on the team’s first nine offensive plays run from scrimmage, a drive that would result in a 15-yard Mahomes rushing touchdown on the team’s first possession. The highlight of the game for the explosive back was a 60-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-one, in which he bounced the football outside and dusted the secondary on his way to the end zone. He would add a receiving score on a “Kansas City Special” later in the game, taking a Mahomes shuttle pass to the end zone from two yards out to further bolster his counting stats. What’s more, walker played all but five offensive snaps in the first half with the game still within reason, highlighting a massive ceiling for the remainder of the season. Walker is a locked-in RB1 ahead of a Week 2 matchup against the Colts.

What is clear in the wake of the Chiefs waiving Emari Demercado is that they don’t really have another player that qualifies as a passing-down back besides Walker without squinting. The other backs they kept are Emmett Johnson, a Day 3 rookie, and Brashard Smith, a gadget player without enough size to really block. Perhaps the Chiefs will address this in street free agency ahead of the season, but as things stand, it certainly seems like Walker will be involved on all three downs.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid and QB Patrick Mahomes believe last season’s run game failed to make defenses respect their play-action run fakes. With Walker now on board, the Chiefs believe both the run game and play-action game will improve. The staff has catered to Walker by installing more plays from under center, which Walker prefers to shotgun. “One way Walker can help transform the offense,” per Taylor, “is by becoming a true dual-threat player.” Reid believes Walker’s “receiving skills and ability to make defenders miss” will allow Reid to incorporate “one of his favorite passing concepts: the variety of plays where a play-action fake to the running back is executed before a short screen pass is thrown back to the same running back.” Walker should be expected to handle a high-end, dual-threat workload. He is a locked-in RB1 with immense upside.

Walker was held out of practice recently because of the issue, but this seems to be as minor as it gets. It’s safe to assume Walker will be back at practice soon, likely without any limitations. Walker has been going at the top of the second round of fantasy drafts. This little injury scare shouldn’t move that ADP in the slightest. He remains a strong RB1 bet this year.

This probably isn’t a major cause for concern — if you’ve ever drafted Kenneth Walker before, you know he misses plenty of practice time — the Chiefs are likely just taking it easy on the man expected to be their bellcow back this season. But the more practice he misses, the more serious we’ll take it. Stay tuned.

Newell writes that the way the Chiefs have been getting the ball to Walker has been “one of the most striking parts of camp,” while adding that Walker has been the primary target in the screen game and in the red zone. It’s about as encouraging a report as fantasy managers could hope for if they’re eyeing Walker in drafts this season. The 25-year-old back signed a three-year, $40.05 million contract with the Chiefs this offseason and could operate as the true bell cow in Andy Reid’s offense this season. Newell also noted that the Chiefs don’t appear to be alternating backs on every other series as they have in recent years, which would only raise Walker’s fantasy ceiling for this upcoming season. Walker already figures to be in the running for a top-12 fantasy season at his position, but he could be in line for a career year if his reported camp usage holds up in the regular season.

Breer refers to RB Kenneth Walker as an “every-down” player, says RB Brashard Smith “has already shown he can be a weapon in space,” and notes RB Emari Demercado adds depth. Perhaps taking on a change-of-pace rushing role is in play for Johnson this season. The rookie back has pass-catching experience as well, but Smith and Demercado could offer more in that department at the moment. Johnson could be the next player up if Walker were to miss time.

Taylor reported early in June that the Chiefs were “starting to experiment” with what works best with Walker’s skills. The veteran back prefers plays from under center rather than shotgun formation. Now that the Chiefs’ training camp is underway, we can confirm that they are putting his preferences into practice. More than half of the Chiefs’ snaps in the first team period came from under center, allowing Walker to practice running between the tackles under coach Andy Reid’s watchful eye. The Chiefs also continue to give Walker reps in the screen game, which can help keep Walker involved in the passing game, regardless of his development as a receiver and pass protector this offseason. Impressed with Walker’s screen game chops thus far, Chiefs C Creed Humphrey described Walker as “a dynamic player, a freak athlete and great with his reads.” Walker is a fantasy football RB1 who could surprise some this season.