Zach Charbonnet’s Fantasy Profile: A Fairly Priced Handcuff with Stand Alone Upside in 2024

When the Seattle Seahawks decided to spend the No. 52 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on UCLA RB Zach Charbonnet after Kenneth Walker III’s promising rookie campaign, it felt like both players were heading into a terrible fantasy situation last season. Well, Charbonnet turned out to be on the wrong end of a timeshare in his rookie year with disappointing fantasy totals across the board.

Can fantasy football managers expect an expanded role for Charbonnet heading into the 2024 NFL season?

Should You Select Zach Charbonnet at His Current ADP?

PPR Industry Consensus ADP: 128th Overall (RB42)

• 2023 Backfield Split: The Seahawks’ backfield was dominated by Kenneth Walker III last season, with Walker nearly doubling Charbonnet’s usage and production. Walker finished as RB19, while Charbonnet ended as RB45 in full-PPR formats.
• Touchdown Disparity: A major difference between the two backs was in the touchdown department, with Walker scoring nine times compared to Charbonnet’s lone touchdown. Walker’s 38 red zone carries far outpaced Charbonnet’s 22, including a 13-to-3 advantage inside the five-yard line.
• Increased Snap Share: Charbonnet did see an increased snap share from Week 8 onward, playing over 40% of offensive snaps in each game. This suggests potential for more involvement in 2024, though it’s not guaranteed.
• Per-Touch Efficiency: Charbonnet was slightly more efficient on a per-touch basis than Walker last season, averaging 4.8 yards per touch compared to Walker’s 4.7. However, the difference was minimal and doesn’t clearly indicate Charbonnet as the better back.
• Limited Upside: While Charbonnet has shown he’s a quality NFL ball carrier, Walker’s firm grip on the lead role in Seattle’s backfield limits Charbonnet’s floor and ceiling for fantasy purposes in 2024.
• ADP Analysis: Charbonnet’s current ADP in the 11th-12th round (RB42) places him in a similar draft position as last year. He’s being selected near players like Jerome Ford and J.K. Dobbins, but his role as the second option in a crowded backfield makes him a risky pick.
• Final Verdict: Charbonnet is a talented player stuck in a tough fantasy situation. Unless Walker misses time or Charbonnet significantly outperforms him, his 2024 value will likely be limited to a handcuff role. Given his current ADP, he may be too expensive for the potential return in 2024.

PFN Consensus PPR Fantasy Ranking for Zach Charbonnet

Note that these rankings are the PFN Consensus Rankings and may not fully match my analysis. Since Charbonnet is ranked outside the top 75 in the PFN Consensus Rankings, we’ve listed the consensus RB rankings instead. 

35) Tony Pollard, RB | Tennessee Titans
36) Nick Chubb, RB | Cleveland Browns
37) Austin Ekeler, RB | Washington Commanders
38) Trey Benson, RB | Arizona Cardinals
39) Chase Brown, RB | Cincinnati Bengals
40) Zach Charbonnet, RB | Seattle Seahawks
41) Jerome Ford, RB | Cleveland Browns
42) Blake Corum, RB | Los Angeles Rams
43) Chuba Hubbard, RB | Carolina Panthers
44) Antonio Gibson, RB | New England Patriots
45) Rico Dowdle, RB | Dallas Cowboys

Zach Charbonnet’s Fantasy Profile for the 2024 NFL Season

The Seahawks’ backfield felt like one of the biggest mysteries heading into last year, but the respective fantasy results mostly speak for themselves.

Seahawks RB Production in 2023 (Fantasy Ranking Full-PPR):

• Walker: 219 carries for 905 yards, 29 receptions for 259 yards, and nine TDs (RB19)
• Charbonnet: 108 carries for 462 yards, 33 receptions for 209 yards, and one TD (RB45)

These numbers pretty firmly suggest that this was Walker’s backfield last year. The incumbent nearly doubled Charbonnet’s usage and production in the running game while having nearly identical work and production in the passing game.

The biggest discrepancy was in the touchdown department, with Walker finding paydirt nine times to Charbonnet’s one score in his rookie year. This becomes a bit clearer when you take a closer look at their usage in the red zone.

Walker saw 38 carries in the red zone — ranking 12th in the league — which was a considerable amount more than Charbonnet’s 22 rushing attempts in the red area in 2023. When you filter those carries to the ones inside the five-yard line, Walker saw 13 carries to Charbonnet’s three. That is a huge difference that speaks to why Walker should be the higher-prioritized Seattle RB in fantasy drafts this year.

If you really dig for a compelling case for an expanded role for Charbonnet heading into 2024, you could point to his increased snap share from Week 8 through the rest of the season where he saw north of 40% of the offensive snaps every game. He failed to hit that 40% threshold in four of his first five games of the year, which hints that he could potentially get more work in his sophomore campaign.

Additionally, Charbonnet was slightly better than Walker on a per-touch basis last year with 4.8 yards per touch to Walker’s 4.7. Charbonnet also had a slightly higher yards-after-contact-per-attempt mark (1.9) than Walker (1.5) last year, but this doesn’t clearly suggest that Charbonnet was the more efficient back in 2023.

Ultimately, Charbonnet proved he is a quality ball carrier in the NFL and could be a fantasy difference-maker if the opportunity were to present itself in the future. The problem is that Walker has a firm standing in this backfield at the moment, which significantly limits Charbonnet’s floor and upside in 2024.

Is Charbonnet a Good Value in Fantasy Drafts?

Charbonnet’s ADP of No. 128 overall, going off the board in the 11th-12th round as the RB43, feels pretty similar to his draft-day value from a year ago. For some additional context, Charbonnet is being drafted near Jerome Ford and J.K. Dobbins at the moment.

Charbonnet is a very talented football player in a terrible fantasy situation, playing second fiddle to a young and ascending ball carrier. This doesn’t leave enough work to be a reliable standalone fantasy option for managers heading into 2024, assuming his role remains similar to his volume from his rookie year.

The Seahawks offensive line didn’t do either of these players a big favor last year, which makes it difficult to project enough improvement on that front to confidently believe this offense can produce a pair of top-20 options at the running back position.

The only way Charbonnet lives up to his feature-back ceiling would be through either an injury or by completely outproducing Walker by a wide margin. We didn’t see enough from Charbonnet in his rookie year to suggest he is a definitively better option than Walker. This makes Charbonnet nothing more than a quality handcuff option heading into the year, which feels a bit too pricey for me in 2024.