Zach Charbonnet Fantasy

Second-round draft pick Zach Charbonnet will make his regular-season debut when the Seattle Seahawks take on the Los Angeles Rams on September 10. The UCLA standout was drafted by the Seahawks on the heels of Kenneth Walker III's 1000-yard rookie season, putting Seattle's depth chart under scrutiny throughout the preseason. Walker was a limited participant in preseason activities thanks to a lingering groin injury, which added to the speculation that Charbonnet would be challenging for the primary role. Walker was cleared from the Seahawks' injury report on Friday and is expected to play in the season opener on Sunday, with DeeJay Dallas second on the team's depth chart. With Charbonnet's upside suddenly curbed, fantasy managers should scale back expectations if they choose to start him in Week 1.

Sep. 8th • 5:23 PM

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III is the team's clear RB1 entering the 2023 regular season. But The Athletic's Michael-Shawn Dugar writes that it remains unclear whether rookie Zach Charbonnet -- the 52nd overall pick in this year's draft -- will be a true 1B to Walker's 1A or a legitimate backup that only enters the game when Walker is tired or injured. Until we know more about Seattle's backfield usage, fantasy managers should consider Walker a low-end RB1/high-end RB2 play and Charbonnet more of an RB3/4 option in Week 1 against the division-rival Los Angeles Rams. It's worth noting that Walker had more than half of Seattle's designed rushing attempts as a rookie in 2022, and he didn't even earn the starting gig until Week 6.

Sep. 6th • 2:16 AM

Seattle Seahawks rookie running back Zach Charbonnet got into Thursday's game against the Minnesota Vikings as a substitute. The second-round draft pick had 28 total yards on six touches against the Vikings and made a key recovery of quarterback Drew Lock's fumble at Seattle's six-yard line near the end of the first half. His longest gain of the day was a nine-yard run, part of a second-quarter drive that culminated in a Seahawks touchdown. Charbonnet is expected to start the season behind Kenneth Walker on the Seahawks' depth chart, but given coach Pete Carroll's tendencies, no running back's role can be guaranteed. With a strong showing in his remaining preseason contests, Charbonnet can force a timeshare sooner than expected.

Aug. 11th • 5:42 AM