Who Should I Start? Kenneth Walker III or Zach Charbonnet

Thursday, August 21, 12:06 PM

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (foot) is in full pads at practice on Thursday for the third straight day, according to Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune. Walker suffered a minor foot injury earlier this month and had been alternating practice days as a precaution given his lengthy history with lower-body ailments. The 24-year-old appears to be moving past the foot issue in the final week of the preseason, but he'll probably be held out of the finale this weekend against the Green Bay Packers. Walker has been very productive for Seattle and fantasy managers when he's healthy, but he's almost guaranteed to miss some time again in 2025 due to injury. It's why the Seahawks have hinted that they will involve Zach Charbonnet more in order to try and keep Walker available. He has become a risk/reward RB2 for fantasy purposes.

Wednesday, August 20, 1:21 PM

ESPN's Brady Henderson writes that all indications are that Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet is "going to have a significant role in the Seahawks' backfield this season." Head coach Mike Macdonald said the team needs to preserve Kenneth Walker III, but they also need to "get him more work than he's gotten in order to be ready to play in a new offense." The Seahawks have not said that the RB1 role is up for grabs this year, but Walker continues to battle lower-body injuries, and Charbonnet continues to impress. Henderson thinks that suggests the backfield "could be more of a timeshare than a typical starter-backup arrangement." Walker has struggled to stay on the field, while Charbonnet hasn't missed a day. Due to durability issues, Walker has become a risky RB2 in fantasy, while is an intriguing RB3/flex upside pick in upcoming fantasy drafts.