The Seattle Seahawks created a fantasy football conundrum when they selected RB Zach Charbonnet in the second round of the NFL Draft. Does Charbonnet have a chance to be the highest fantasy-scoring RB in the Seahawks’ backfield in 2023?
Behind in research? Get a trade offer in your dynasty or redraft league? Not sure who to start or sit this week? Leverage PFN’s FREE fantasy tools — our Fantasy Football Draft Kit, Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer and Calculator, and Start/Sit Optimizer! Put the finishing touch on your A+ draft with 1 of our 425+ fantasy football team names.
Zach Charbonnet’s Fantasy Outlook for the 2023 NFL Season
Many expected Charbonnet to be drafted on Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft. What they didn’t expect was for Seattle to spend a second-round pick on a running back for a second consecutive season.
For an actual NFL backfield, the Seahawks boast one of the more talented groups in all of football. However, Seattle’s backfield situation for fantasy managers heading into this season is a complete unknown.
Starting RB Kenneth Walker III is an immensely talented back who flashed his elite playmaking ability as a pure runner while producing more as a pass catcher in his rookie season than all of his collegiate years combined.
Walker’s successful rookie campaign, however, was not enough to prevent the organization from selecting Charbonnet early in the NFL Draft.
Zach Charbonnet showing why the @Seahawks used a 2nd-round pick on him 😤 @zachcharbon
📺: #DALvsSEA on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/L9mPiySUki pic.twitter.com/DcYD5XnpXd— NFL (@NFL) August 20, 2023
Charbonnet possesses similar upside as a pure runner but showcased much more capability in the passing game during his days in college. The former UCLA Bruin enjoyed a target share of 14% prior to declaring for the NFL Draft.
While Walker did catch 27 passes as a rookie, Charbonnet’s 75 receptions in college dwarf Walker’s 19. The rookie likely projects as the better pass-catching option of the two.
If that’s the case, in order for Walker to stay the highest-scoring fantasy RB in this backfield, he would need a dominating share of carries, especially in the red zone.
MORE: Fantasy Football Sleepers 2023
While I do think Walker will enter the season with the inside track to a leading role on the ground, he struggled in short-yardage situations last year. According to Inside Edge, Walker was stuffed 13 times in short-yardage scenarios in 2022, which was tied for third-most among running backs.
If Charbonnet is the better pass-catching option and Walker continues to struggle in short-yardage, could there be some concerns about the second-year RB returning value on his current ADP? It seems like some of those concerns could be valid.
Is Charbonnet a Good Fantasy Pick?
Charbonnet has the skill set to be a very good three-down back in the NFL. The only thing holding him back is the expectation that Walker will be the leading ball carrier in Seattle.
I do want to remind everyone that Pete Carroll doesn’t care about your fantasy football team. If you recall, the Seahawks selected Rashaad Penny in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft… only to have him play second fiddle to seventh-round pick Chris Carson.
I’d argue that if Charbonnet proves more efficient as a runner while giving you more than what Walker is capable of giving you in the passing game, then there’s a chance that he could finish the season with the most touches in this backfield.
Charbonnet’s current price represents a great amount of upside for a player who is expected to have a Flex-worthy role heading into the season.
- PFN Consensus Rankings: 89th overall
- ADP: 102nd overall