The Seattle Seahawks offense could look quite different in 2024 under a new coaching staff, which could mean changes in how the work is distributed in the backfield. What does this mean for Zach Charbonnet’s fantasy football projection?
Zach Charbonnet’s 2024 Fantasy Outlook
- Fantasy points per game: 10.2
- Rushing Yards: 758
- Rush TDs: 1.6
- Receptions: 54
- Receiving Yards: 343
- Receiving TDs: 0
These are PFN’s consensus projections, correct as of August 14. The most up-to-date projections can be found in our Who Should I Draft Tool.
Should You Draft Charbonnet This Year?
Although it was a small sample size, we did get a chance to see Charbonnet operate without Kenneth Walker III last season. In two games with Walker sidelined, he averaged 13.3 fantasy points per game, which, at minimum, tells us that Charbonnet has weekly RB2 upside.
Charbonnet should open the season as the clear passing-down back. It’s a role he played last season and one he should only be better at as he continues to improve.
Unfortunately, even as the primary passing-down RB, Charbonnet didn’t see much receiving volume. His target share was only 7.6%, identical to Walker’s.
The good news is that Charbonnet averaged 4.8 yards per touch (24th in the league) and 3.78 yards created per touch (14th). Volume matters far more than efficiency, but it doesn’t hurt to know that if Charbonnet touches the ball more, he’s good enough to show coaches he deserves to continue it.
Heading into this season, fantasy managers are viewing Seattle’s backfield pretty much the same as last year. Walker has a similar ADP (RB17), while Charbonnet also has a similar ADP (around RB43).
This is a situation where you can’t totally rely on projections to tell you what to do. My projections have Charbonnet carrying the ball 159 times for 668 yards and 4.4 touchdowns while adding 49 receptions for 327 yards and 2.0 touchdowns through the air. This puts him at 11.0 fantasy points per game, projecting him out as the overall RB36.
If you draft a player at RB41 who finishes as RB36, that doesn’t do anything for you. Those players are all the same. However, a guy like Charbonnet projecting out around his ADP is actually very encouraging.
The projections assume Walker will maintain the lead-back role the entire season and that each player’s role will remain the same. Our rankings and in-draft decisions can account for this possibility.
Both my projections and the PFN consensus projections have Charbonnet slightly ahead of ADP. I ranked Charbonnet at RB37, also ahead of ADP.
Much like last year, if we draft Charbonnet and he’s the player we pay for, then fine. We end up with a guy you can’t really start confidently, but who you can plug in when you need to and not get zero.
But what if Walker gets hurt? What if Charbonnet impresses the new coaching staff and earns more work? What if he flips the timeshare?
The new staff has no allegiance to either of these backs. They’ll put the one playing the best on the field more. It’s probably going to be Walker, but it’s not a certainty. This upside makes Charbonnet the ideal type of RB4 fantasy managers should look for.