Kenneth Walker III has been a fantasy football player's dream to start the 2026 NFL season. Through the first two games in full point-per-reception (PPR) fantasy leagues, the Kansas City Chiefs running back has been the highest-scoring player at his position and the No. 4 overall player across any position, behind only Josh Allen, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Considering his heavy workload (23 and 24 carries in the first two games) and how much he's excelled, it's easy to understand why that's the case. However, there's a chance he may be due for a slight regression.
While it's obvious Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and the rest of the offensive coaching staff love feeding Walker, it does seem as though the running back's workload is
likely to be reduced sooner rather than later. While speaking with the media, Reid admitted that running back Emmett Johnson is likely to get more work going forward, which will take "a little bit of the load off" Walker.
"The other part is allowing Emmett to grow. And so I think Emmett will continue to get more snaps, and that'll take a little bit of the load off Kenny," Reid said. "But he wants that ball. He wants the ball every play. Ken does, and he's not asking to be relieved or anything else. But I think as it goes on, you get a nice balance with those two in there, and then it keeps them even more fresh as the season goes on."
Emmett Johnson is expected to receive more snaps, gradually reducing Kenneth Walker III's workload as the Chiefs seek a fresher two-back balance.
— MicNuggets (@micnuggetsnfl) September 21, 2026
Andy Reid: “The other part is allowing Emmett to grow. And so I think Emmett will continue to get more snaps, and that'll take a… pic.twitter.com/wbUduxD6Vx
It's easy to understand why it's been hard not to feed Walker, given that he's averaging 6.2 yards per carry and has also caught nine passes for 79 yards through two games. While Johnson has been used sparingly, the rookie fifth-round pick out of Nebraska has looked solid, totaling 10 carries for 39 yards and catching all four of his targets for 64 yards.
Kennet
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Kenneth Walker's fantasy football dominance in danger after Andy Reid's latest comments?
