Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or Zach Charbonnet

Thursday, January 29, 12:26 PM

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley carried the Eagles to a Super Bowl championship and a lot of fantasy managers to a championship as well in 2024 in his first year with the team, when he ran for a league-high 2,005 yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns on a whopping 345 rushing attempts in 16 regular-season games to win Offensive Player of the Year honors. The 28-year-old was a consensus top-three fantasy pick in drafts last fall, but he ended up being a bust (mainly because of Philly's lackluster offense) as the RB15 in half-PPR scoring with 1,140 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 280 carries in the regular season. Barkley added 37 receptions for 273 yards and two scores through the air. The three-time Pro Bowler will still be in the RB1 conversation in 2026 as a workhorse, but his ability to bounce back as a high-end fantasy RB will depend on whether the Eagles' offense can return to its 2024 form.

Saturday, February 14, 6:21 AM

Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (knee) spent the majority of the 2025 season in a relatively even playing time split with fellow Seahawks back Kenneth Walker III. However, Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL in his knee during Seattle's NFC Divisional Round win over the San Francisco 49ers. Given the timing of the injury, Charbonnet could miss the start of the 2026 season, if not more. Across 16 regular-season games, the 25-year-old recorded 730 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 184 carries. Charbonnet established himself as Seattle's preferred option at the goal-line and has racked up 20 rushing touchdowns over the past two seasons. While the Seahawks are reportedly looking to re-sign him, Walker III is now set to hit unrestricted free agency this offseason. If Walker III were to sign elsewhere, Charbonnet could take over as the team's lead back once he gets healthy. Still, given the nature of his injury and Walker III's standout playoff run after Charbonnet went down, it seems unlikely that Charbonnet will be ticketed for anything more than a support upon his return. Charbonnet's long-term outlook in dynasty formats should take a hit as a result of his unfortunate injury setback.