Who Should I Start? Jaylen Warren or Zach Charbonnet

Friday, September 5, 6:11 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren will begin his first campaign as the team's featured ballcarrier in a road bout with the New York Jets. Warren thrived in a complementary role through his first three seasons, averaging 4.8 yards per tote while adding 127 receptions. Although he is expected to lead Pittsburgh's backfield ahead of rookie Kaleb Johnson, Warren will be tested by a solid New York defense. The Jets shut down running backs in the passing game and held the position to the fifth-fewest yards per carry in 2024. This is expected to be a low-scoring affair, so while Warren doesn't offer extreme upside, he can be started as a volume-based RB2 or flex option in Week 1.

Friday, September 5, 2:21 PM

Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet will enter the season backing up Kenneth Walker III. However, Charbonnet should have stand-alone fantasy value given how much he has impressed the coaching staff. Charbonnet and the Seahawks draw a solid matchup for running backs in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing running backs in 2024. With how highly Seattle's coaching staff has spoken of Charbonnet this offseason, a few extra carries and targets could go a long way in Week 1. Additionally, if Charbonnet continues to play at a high level, he could eat more and more into Walker's workload. It is difficult to get a feel for the split in this backfield, but reports suggest close to a 60/40 split in Walker's favor to begin the season. That split could approach 50/50 as the season wears on. You likely drafted Charbonnet as a bench player, but he should see enough work to merit flex consideration in Week 1 in a pinch.