Who Should I Start? Zach Charbonnet or Jonathon Brooks

Friday, October 4, 1:27 PM

Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet finds himself in a secondary role to Kenneth Walker III (oblique) once again. Upon Walker's return from injury in Week 5, Charbonnet was out-touched 16 to seven. With their actions, the Seahawks have made it clear that they heavily prefer Walker over Charbonnet. Charbonnet did see a 42% snap share to Walker's 59%. However, the Seahawks clearly would like Walker to have the ball in his hands over Charbonnet. What is more, five of Charbonnet's touches in Week 4 were receptions on a day in which quarterback Geno Smith threw the ball 56 times. That type of volume will not be available to Charbonnet in every game. He is worth a roster spot, but he is merely a hand cuff for Walker until proven otherwise.

Tuesday, October 15, 1:47 AM

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales discussed Jonathon Brooks' (ACL) role in the backfield, stating, "We'll have to see that. We'll have to see that come to life and see what he looks like in practice." Brooks, who tore his ACL while at Texas last season, was placed on the non-football injury list at the start of training camp as a second-round pick. Canales refrained from speculating on Brooks' potential role, emphasizing the importance of first evaluating his performance in practice. In the meantime, fourth-year running back Chuba Hubbard has stepped up as the team's lead back, boasting 86 carries for 485 yards and two touchdowns. It will be intriguing to see how the distribution of carries changes once Brooks is back in game shape. Additionally, there are rumors that Hubbard could be on the trade block, as the Panthers, currently with only one win in the 2024 season, may be looking to sell. The running back situation in Carolina remains interesting to monitor for fantasy, especially since Andy Dalton took over as quarterback and made Panthers players relevant again.