Is Rashaad Penny Healthy Or Injured? Should I Pick Up Kenneth Walker III? Fantasy Football Outlook

Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny was a polarizing fantasy pick this season as he has dealt with injuries his entire career. The veteran running back missed at least six games in three of the first four years of his career, including last season.

However, the former first-round pick had a historic run to end last year. Penny averaged 21.5 half-point PPR fantasy points per game and 7.3 yards per rushing attempt over the final five games of the 2021 season.

The former San Diego State star struggled this year, averaging 10 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. He scored 28.2 fantasy point performance in Week 4 against an awful Detroit Lions run defense. However, the veteran running back averaged only 5.5 fantasy points per game in the other four contests this season.

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Is Rashaad Penny Healthy or Injured?

Unfortunately, Penny suffered a fractured fibula on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints that will require surgery, ending his 2022 campaign.

Furthermore, the injury is severe, and the veteran running back has a long recovery process ahead of him.

While no one roots for injuries, fantasy players can’t be shocked to hear the news. Penny has missed 40% of the games in his career due to numerous injuries. Everyone wishes Penny a speedy recovery, but now the Seattle backfield belongs to the rookie Kenneth Walker III.

Should I Pick Up Kenneth Walker III?

The second-round rookie has played sparingly this season, averaging only 5.8 rushing attempts per game. However, Walker has played well, averaging 6.4 yards per rushing attempt. Furthermore, the former Michigan State star had started to earn more snaps over the past few weeks.

While Penny played 63.3% of the snaps over the first four weeks, Walker played only 18.8%. However, the rookie played 45.1% of the snaps the past two weeks, including 58% last week.

More importantly, Walker has top-15 upside for the rest of the year. He had an impressive 69-yard win in the fourth quarter on Sunday, showing great burst and speed. Furthermore, with Penny out for the year, Walker will have a featured role on a surprisingly good Seattle offense.

If the rookie is available on your league's waiver wire, you need to grab him. Fantasy players shouldn't be afraid to spend every remaining dollar of their free-agent acquisition budget to pick up Walker. He will be a league-winning running back.

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