The Seattle Seahawks ended the 2022 season with a 9-8 record to finish in second place in the NFC West. Geno Smith was under center for the first season without Russell Wilson and led the league in completion percentage while standout rookie Kenneth Walker III emerged as the future in the backfield. In order to provide some depth behind him, the Seahawks drafted UCLA tailback Zach Charbonnet in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
2023 Fantasy Football: Zach Charbonnet Profile
Recap of 2022 season
Charbonnet enters the league after coming off the best season of his collegiate career, rushing for 1,359 yards with 14 touchdowns and 321 receiving yards for UCLA. He averaged a career-high 7.2 yards per scrimmage in 2022 and finished as the Pac-12’s leader in rushing yards during his senior season.
Updated Seahawks outlook
Seattle returns a talented core on offense led by Smith, Walker, DK Metcalf, and Tyler Lockett, so the expectation for 2023 is that they’ll challenge both the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams for the division crown. With Walker leading the way as the undisputed RB1 in Seattle, Charbonnet could step in as an additional fulcrum of the offense for both depth purposes, as well as an insurance policy in case Walker finds himself missing extended time.
Best-case scenario
Don’t expect Charbonnet to suddenly dethrone Walker atop the depth chart. The best scenario is to carve out a nice supplementary role with consistent snaps throughout the year. There remains a nice opportunity for Charbonnet to serve as the third-down back, and with a career average of 7.9 yards per reception in college, there is a chance he cements himself as a receiving threat as well.
Worst-case scenario
The worst-case scenario would be Charbonnet failing to carve out a supplementary role in Seattle as Walker runs away with the majority of snaps throughout the season. If so, the rookie could easily slip in the depth chart and ultimately be rendered irrelevant when it comes to playing him as a FLEX in fantasy.
Prediction
Charbonnet should provide some good value as a flex and is surely a worthwhile pickup as a handcuff to Walker. Between 7.0 to 8.0 PPR fantasy points seems reasonable for the former Bruin, with the possibility of a higher ceiling should Walker find himself missing extended time at any point during the season.