We’re into the semifinals of the fantasy football playoffs — if your team remains alive in the postseason picture, congratulations. If not, go out there and play spoiler nonetheless!
The Seattle Seahawks’ halfback tandem has made life difficult for fantasy managers all season. It appeared the tide may turn in favor of Kenneth Walker III several weeks ago, but Zach Charbonnet remains a thorn in the side of the starting running back as well as those who roster him. Heading into such a critical matchup, can you trust either of these players in Week 16 vs. the Los Angeles Rams?
Evaluating the Seahawks’ backfield
Through 14 games, the Seahawks’ backfield remains something of a 1A/1B situation with Kenneth Walker operating as the primary option ahead of Zach Charbonnet. Here’s a look at the numbers:
| Kenneth Walker III | Zach Charbonnet | |
| 10.1 | FPPG | 9.2 |
| 47% | Snap Percentage | 47% |
| 179 | Rush Attempts | 140 |
| 779 | Rushing Yards | 514 |
| 4 | Touchdowns | 8 |
| 22 | Receptions | 11 |
| 176 | Receiving Yards | 87 |
Keep in mind that Charbonnet has played one fewer game than Walker, but neither of these halfbacks are the most reliable starting options in fantasy lineups. Walker comes in as the RB25 overall in PPR formats with double-digit points in just three contests since the Seahawks’ Week 8 bye. Charbonnnet, meanwhile, has crossed double-digit points just twice over the same span. What does the role look like for each, and could that shift heading into Week 16 vs. the Rams?
Much like how things have played out throughout much of the campaign, Walker does see more volume with a 44% rush share to his teammate’s 37%, as well as a 49% touch share in the backfield to 40% for Charbonnet. In theory, that additional volume makes Walker a better fantasy option. It doesn’t quite work out that way, though. Charbonnet sees a 50.0% share of rush attempts inside the red zone and 60.0% of carries inside the five-yard line. Walker, meanwhile, Walker has taken 43.2% of carries in the red zone with just 40.0% of touches inside the five. The distribution of those high-value touches is what makes Charbonnet fantasy-relevant in the first place, and there’s a noticeable lack of receiving work for either back.
It’s a rather ugly backfield split here in Seattle, and even with Walker out-snapping his teammate, there’s not a massive difference between the volume of their opportunities. Walker averages 12.8 rush attempts per game and has seen more than 13 carries just five times on the season, but hasn’t crossed that mark even once across his last four games. Charbonnet averages 10.8 attempts per contest but has seen fewer than 10 carries in three of his last four appearances, too. With neither player taking a significant workload of 15+ touches most weeks or catching many passes, the upside remains capped barring a breakaway run or touchdown.
The matchup in Week 16 looks quite difficult as well. The Seahawks play the Rams, who possess one of the NFL’s best run-stopping units. Los Angeles allows 101.1 rushing yards per game, ninth-fewest, along with the eighth-lowest YPC at 3.9. To top that off, the Rams rank fifth in defensive EPA/rush and have conceded a mere five rushing touchdowns on the campaign — the fewest in the entire league. None of those factors bode well for Seattle’s backfield, even playing at home on Thursday Night Football. With Los Angeles conceding the fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs at just 11.86 per game, this feels like a nightmare spot for Walker and Charbonnet.
If you must play one of the pair, Walker is likely the name to pick thanks to the advantage he sees in efficiency over his teammate. The impending free agent averages 4.4 YPC with 25 rushes of 10+ yards, better marks than Charbonnet’s 3.7 YPC and seven explosive runs. It’s best to pencil Walker in as a low-end RB2 or mid-tier FLEX option and hope he can break a couple of longer rushes on Thursday. Still, starting either Seahawks halfback feels rather dire at this stage of the season. If they find their way into your lineups, best of luck.
