Zach Charbonnet had his postseason cut short when he tore his ACL against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs. Five weeks later, he’s finally gone under the knife and came through with the ligament repair deemed a success.

There has been mild speculation that he may have had another injury that exacerbated the issue, forcing him to recover before addressing the ACL. However, there have been no announcements to that effect, and it is not uncommon for players to undergo a dedicated “pre-hab” before surgery. In those cases, the swelling and inflammation around the ligament must resolve before the procedure. The pre-hab regimen consists of several weeks of stretching and range-of-motion exercises. Throughout, physicians check the progress until the patient is deemed ready.

The weeks-long preparation, though common, pushes Charbonnet’s return date further into the 2026 season. He’ll need at least eight months of rehabilitation (likely more), placing a target date in late October at the earliest.

Fantasy lowdown: If there were any lingering questions about whether to re-sign Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker to a new contract before free agency, this should put them to rest. Not only that, it’s fair to assume that Seattle may pursue a back in free agency to spell Walker. Given the lack of surefire running back depth in the draft, it’s unlikely for Seattle to go hunting.

Dynasty managers will have to be patient and hope they get a nice boost from Charbonnet for the home stretch. He will likely go unselected in redraft leagues until October gives way to a mad dash to stash him from waivers.

Author: Sam Schneider (@BuyAndSellYou)