The Seahawks have floundered of late, particularly their running game. But I have seen enough of Kenneth Walker that I am high on him going into future seasons. He looks like the real deal.
Playing against a really good San Francisco defense, Walker didn’t have a standout game last night. But there was one play where he was able to get around the corner for a nice gain. It was the kind of play where most backs wouldn’t have been able to get around the edge.
If we put on our dynasty league hats for a moment (as we do on Saturdays during the regular season) I would rather have a 22-year-old Kenneth Walker, rather than a 27-year-old back like Nick Chubb, Dalvin Cook or Austin Ekeler.
I think we’re going to see a bunch of good seasons from Walker. He’s got a lot more quality seasons left in him than those guys.
When I’m stacking the board at running back for a dynasty format, I tend to favor the younger guys. If two players are similar in value, go for the younger one. All but three of the players in my top 10, in fact, are younger than 25 years old. Two of the older guys aren’t traditional tailbacks but pass catchers (Ekeler and Christian McCaffrey). The other exception is 25-year-old Saquon Barkley.
The rankings below are crafted by hand. They assume PPR scoring and a 12-team league, with franchises holding the rights to players indefinitely. Rookies tagged with black dots.
I turn my attention to dynasty leagues every Saturday during the regular season, rotating between the four notable positions. To see past installments, use the “past issues” navigation tools.
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Next week: Tight ends
DYNASTY RUNNING BACKS | |||
---|---|---|---|
Rk | Tm | Player | Age |
1. | IND | Jonathan Taylor | 23.9 |
2. | NYJ | • Breece Hall | 21.5 |
3. | SEA | • Kenneth Walker | 22.2 |
4. | JAC | Travis Etienne | 23.9 |
5. | SF | Christian McCaffrey | 26.5 |
6. | NYG | Saquon Barkley | 25.8 |
7. | LAC | Austin Ekeler | 27.6 |
8. | DEN | Javonte Williams | 22.6 |
9. | LV | Josh Jacobs | 24.8 |
10. | HOU | • Dameon Pierce | 22.8 |
11. | CIN | Joe Mixon | 26.4 |
12. | PIT | Najee Harris | 24.8 |
13. | CLE | Nick Chubb | 27.0 |
14. | MIN | Dalvin Cook | 27.4 |
15. | NE | Rhamondre Stevenson | 24.8 |
16. | TEN | Derrick Henry | 28.9 |
17. | TB | • Rachaad White | 23.9 |
18. | DAL | Tony Pollard | 25.6 |
19. | KC | • Isiah Pacheco | 23.8 |
20. | PHI | Miles Sanders | 25.6 |
21. | WAS | • Brian Robinson | 23.7 |
22. | GB | Aaron Jones | 28.0 |
23. | CHI | David Montgomery | 25.5 |
24. | DET | D'Andre Swift | 23.9 |
25. | BAL | J.K. Dobbins | 24.0 |
26. | CAR | D'Onta Foreman | 26.6 |
27. | ARI | James Conner | 27.6 |
28. | NO | Alvin Kamara | 27.4 |
29. | ATL | • Tyler Allgeier | 22.7 |
30. | CHI | Khalil Herbert | 24.7 |
31. | BUF | Devin Singletary | 25.3 |
32. | DAL | Ezekiel Elliott | 27.4 |
33. | NE | • Pierre Strong | 24.0 |
34. | BUF | • James Cook | 23.2 |
35. | MIA | Jeff Wilson | 27.1 |
36. | CLE | Kareem Hunt | 27.4 |
37. | GB | AJ Dillon | 24.6 |
38. | NYJ | • Zonovan Knight | 21.7 |
39. | NE | Damien Harris | 25.8 |
40. | ATL | Cordarrelle Patterson | 31.8 |
41. | TB | Leonard Fournette | 27.9 |
42. | PIT | • Jaylen Warren | 24.1 |
43. | MIN | Alexander Mattison | 24.5 |
44. | PHI | Kenneth Gainwell | 23.8 |
45. | CLE | • Jerome Ford | 23.3 |
46. | WAS | Antonio Gibson | 24.5 |
47. | SF | Elijah Mitchell | 24.6 |
48. | MIA | Raheem Mostert | 30.7 |
49. | LAR | Cam Akers | 23.5 |
50. | CAR | Chuba Hubbard | 23.5 |
51. | LV | • Zamir White | 23.2 |
52. | BAL | Gus Edwards | 27.7 |
53. | DET | Jamaal Williams | 27.7 |
54. | LAC | Joshua Kelley | 25.1 |
55. | NYJ | Michael Carter | 23.6 |
56. | KC | Jerick McKinnon | 30.6 |
57. | SF | Jordan Mason | 23.6 |
58. | CLE | D'Ernest Johnson | 26.8 |
59. | KC | Clyde Edwards-Helaire | 23.7 |
60. | ATL | • Caleb Huntley | 24.3 |
61. | IND | Deon Jackson | 23.8 |
62. | LAC | • Isaiah Spiller | 21.4 |
63. | SEA | Rashaad Penny | 26.9 |
64. | MIN | • Ty Chandler | 24.6 |
65. | TEN | • Hassan Haskins | 23.1 |
66. | SF | • Tyrion Davis-Price | 22.1 |
67. | LAR | • Kyren Williams | 22.3 |
68. | NYJ | James Robinson | 24.4 |
69. | ARI | • Keontay Ingram | 23.1 |
70. | BUF | Nyheim Hines | 26.1 |
71. | IND | Zack Moss | 25.0 |
72. | CIN | Samaje Perine | 27.2 |
73. | WAS | J.D. McKissic | 29.3 |
74. | PHI | Trey Sermon | 23.9 |
75. | BAL | Kenyan Drake | 28.9 |
76. | DET | Craig Reynolds | 26.5 |
77. | GB | Kylin Hill | 24.3 |
78. | BAL | Justice Hill | 25.1 |
79. | NYG | Gary Brightwell | 23.8 |
80. | DEN | Latavius Murray | 32.9 |
—Ian Allan