Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet has had surgery to repair his torn ACL this week
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)
Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said that running...
Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (knee) posted...
Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (knee) spent ...
Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the NFL Playoffs and possibly the start of next season.
The Seattle Seahawks will be down a running back in the NFC Championship game against the Los Angeles Rams, Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL and won’t play again this year. In addition to missing the rest of the playoffs, Charbonnet’s week one availability for next season is also in doubt.
Charbonnet finished the regular season with 184 carries for 730 yards and 12 touchdowns. In Charbonnet’s absence Ken Walker has the Seattle backfield to himself and likely becomes a priority re-signing in the offseason.
Walker rushed 19 times for 116 yards and three touchdowns against the San Francisco 49ers and will be heavily featured again versus the Rams. His fantasy football stock is on the rise and he’ll only become more valuable with another strong performance.
Author: David Leonard Jr. (@RealDelcoDave)
Fantasy managers got the all-too-familiar feeling from Seattle of Zach Charbonnet stealing hopes and dreams from Kenneth Walker starters at the worst time
The Seattle Seahawks sent the Carolina Panthers back home on Sunday to fight another day. Thanks to the team’s usage of its 1-2 backfield punch of Walker and Charbonnet, they also sent many fantasy managers, well, just home.
Walker and Charbonnet—er, Charbonnet and Walker have done this dance for Seattle (regardless of coaching staff) so many times that managers of fantasy football squads probably should have seen it coming. The script played out true to form; Managers who started “KW9” all season watched as he labored to just 51 yards on the ground, while the team kept putting the biscuit in the basket of Charbonnet, who rumbled to 110 yards (6.1 YPC) with a pair of trips into the promised land for six. Each back caught two passes in the affair.
When the smoke cleared, the potential No. 1 seed Seahawks (@SF 1/3) had flipped a 3-3 halftime score into a runaway 27-10 victory over the home Panthers. Carolina will also play on the road next Saturday, against Tampa Bay, with the division and playoffs on the line.
The Seahawks’ defense proved formidable again. They held Bryce Young and Co. to just 139 total yards, with Charbonnet alone out-rushing the whole of Carolina’s backfield. Also lost in the shuffle was Offensive Rookie of the Year incumbent Tetairoa McMillan, who managed just a single catch for five yards on four targets. On the other side, Sam Darnold finished a pedestrian 18-27 for 149 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Runaway Offensive Player of the Year candidate Jaxon Smith-Njigba had nine catches—none in the painted area.
While many fantasy football managers are left with regrets and “what ifs,” football purists will tell you that “defense wins championships.”
Author: Samwise (@BuyAndSellYou)
Zach Charbonnet is taking advantage of the preseason and could see an increased role in Seattle.
Zach Charbonnet has had an impressive preseason during Kenneth Walker III’s absence. He looked the part in limited time running with the starters this preseason logging 5 carries for 45 yards and a touchdown. Seattle Coaches have also been praising Charbonnet’s intelligence and availability.
Walker III’s preseason injury management might just be that but there is still a concern due to previous seasons. When Walker has missed time and Charbonnet has been the starter he’s looked like a fringe RB1/Rb2 with an RB1 overall in Week 14. Seattle may continue to manage Walker throughout the season and Charbonnet appears to be more than just a back up.
Charbonnet’s ADP in the 9th round on underdog is entering the territory of a must draft RB regardless if you’ve drafted Walker or not. He appears to have a decent floor but his ceiling could be massive if Walker were to miss any time.
Author: Brett Jackson
Seattle Seahawks running back went down with an injury today and was helped off the field.
Running back Kenny McIntosh had to be assisted off the field today at Seattle Seahawks training camp. McIntosh went down during a special teams portion of practice and couldn’t put any weight on his leg.
It’s feared that McIntosh suffered a torn ACL, the team said that further testing will be needed to confirm the severity of the injury. McIntosh was expected to once again be Seattle’s third string running back.
McIntosh didn’t have very much fantasy relevance and has been mostly going undrafted. Ken Walker and Zach Charbonnet will lead Seattle’s backfield again, if McIntosh is done for the season the team will likely look for running back depth but whoever it is will not have much fantasy relevance.
Author David Leonard (@RealDelcoDave)
Kenneth Walker is doubtful for Sunday’s game vs. the Patriots after suffering an oblique injury in week 1 vs. the Denver Broncos.
Walker had a great week 1 against the Broncos before missing the final two series of the game. After the game, there was a positive sentiment that he’d be fine for week 2. Once the adrenaline wore off, Walker proceeded to not practice all week, making him a near lock to not play this Sunday.
2nd year Running Back Zach Charbonnet immediately slots in as the next man up behind Walker, and he should be expected to be leaned on heavily on Sunday. While Kenny McIntosh could mix in the backfield for the Seahawks as well, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Charbonnet hovering above an 80% snap share this weekend, similar to how he was used in games Walker missed last year. This makes him a solid starting option in fantasy lineups, coming in as RB21 PlayerProfiler’s rankings this week.
