Who Should I Start? Brian Robinson Jr. or Zach Charbonnet

Saturday, September 13, 1:14 AM

San Francisco 49ers running back Brian Robinson Jr. may see an uptick in usage when the team faces the Saints on Sunday. With quarterback Brock Purdy (toe, shoulder) out, wide receiver Jauan Jennings (shoulder) questionable, and tight end George Kittle (hamstring) on injured reserve, San Francisco is short on playmakers. In Week 2, San Francisco may prefer to grind things out on the ground now that Mac Jones is under center. If that's the case, Robinson should mix in regularly in order to avoid overworking Christian McCaffrey (31 touches in Week 1). Robinson projects as an RB4 in Week 2. While he is not a must-start, he is a viable flex in deeper leagues and should be rostered in most leagues.

Monday, September 15, 3:31 PM

Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet dominated the Seahawks' running back snaps once again against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2, but he was wildly inefficient on the ground. Charbonnet carried the ball 15 times for just 10 yards. He also failed to earn a target for the second straight week. Meanwhile, Charbonnet's running mate, Kenneth Walker III, turned 13 carries into 108 yards and a touchdown. Walker only played 35% of the snaps, but he collected just one fewer opportunity than Charbonnet. Charbonnet has now turned in two inefficient performances after an offseason of serious hype. He was bailed out by a touchdown in Week 1, but Walker notched the score in Week 2. Charbonnet's outlook moving forward is cloudy. He still played 55% of the snaps on Sunday, but the Seahawks cannot ignore how healthy and effective Walker looked this weekend. This split feels like it will inch towards 50/50 in an effort to keep Walker healthy. However, Charbonnet needs to improve his production to avoid risking a dip even lower than that.