After a rough recruiting season, I have three walkons, and I've RS the guy I did bring in. I'm running only eight deep. Is it better to leave the walkons off the depth chart and go with my eight or should I play the walkons just so my guys can get a little rest?

I think you leave them off.  I will play walk-ons at mop up, but, unless you get a surprisingly useful walk-on, then I wouldn't give them actual contested game minutes.  You'll get more WE bump for the additional minutes played by your scholarship athletes in the long run (marginally).  

Query: Are you just determined to redshirt the 9th guy?  One alternative is to stick him in and let him play significant minutes.  The WE boost might make the extra season a wash.

Thanks, rog. That was my thinking with the walkons as well. To your question, I'm not married to the idea -- I just always assume five years are better than four. And if it's going to be a rough year anyway, I didn't want to "waste" one year of his eligibility. His WE is 39.

And I have fairly talented older guards already (he's a SG), so he'd be #3 on the depth chart if he were to play.