Who Should I Start? Zach Charbonnet or Kaleb Johnson

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.

Friday, February 13, 7:42 AM

A third-round selection out of the University of Iowa in the 2025 NFL Draft, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson appeared to have an opportunity to play a significant role in his team's backfield as a rookie. Instead, the 22-year-old spent the 2025 season buried on the Steelers' depth chart and barely got a chance to take the field. Across 10 games played, Johnson recorded just 78 yards from scrimmage on 29 touches. Veteran Pittsburgh running backs Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell dominated the team's backfield work throughout the year, as each back topped 180 touches and 1,000 yards from scrimmage. Gainwell is set to hit unrestricted free agency this spring, which could eliminate one obstacle from Johnson's pathway to playing time. However, even if the Steelers do not bring Gainwell back, Johnson did little as a rookie to convince Pittsburgh that it should not bring in another veteran to complement Warren in 2026. Johnson is still very young, and he could work his way back into the team's plans with a full offseason of development. However, his fantasy stock in dynasty formats has taken a major hit after his underwhelming rookie campaign.