Kenneth Walker III is the best running back the Seattle Seahawks have. He adds an element of explosiveness that backup Zach Charbonnet does not have. Charbonnet might be better at grinding out two yards in short-yardage situations, but neither running back has done much behind the team's offensive line that is wretched at run blocking.
Still, a Seattle offense without Walker means opposing defenses can play tighter to the line of scrimmage. There is little fear of Charbonnet breaking off a 50-yard touchdown the way there is with Walker's potential to do so. He has not been able to get many of those runs this season, but that does not mean he simply cannot anymore.
Walker's season has also been affected by various ailments. He had missed two games already, and the running back was listed as questionable on the team's final injury report for Sunday's Week 14 matchup versus the Arizona Cardinals due to ankle and calf injuries. If at all possible, Walker would likely have played because Week 14 is the most important game of Seattle's season so far.
Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III will not play versus the Cardinals in Week 14
Should the Seahawks beat the Cardinals for the second time in three weeks, Seattle would move to 8-5 with the possibility of a two-game in the NFC West. Arizona would fall to 6-7 and the 6-6 Los Angeles Rams have to play the 10-2 Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Should the Seahawks fail in Week 14, they would probably need a lot of help to get to the postseason.
The most telling part of whether Walker would play against the Cardinals is that he did not practice at all on Friday. Maybe the team was hoping that simply resting the running back might help, but many times, when a player cannot practice on a Friday before a game, then they do not play in the game. Plus, he did practice on Wednesday so he was trending downward as the week came to a close.
On Saturday, the Seahawks reported that Walker is out versus the Cardinals. Let's hope Zach Charbonnet has a great game in his place versus Arizona.