Should I drop Zach Charbonnet? Week 5 fantasy projection for Seahawks RB

Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet made his fantasy football owners very happy a couple of weeks ago against the Miami Dolphins. He recorded 91 yards on the ground and registered two touchdowns.

Ever since then, fantasy football managers have been wondering if he is someone should stick with given the return he is giving for the value. The Seahawks lost against the Lions in their last game for their first defeat of the season but have a good chance to get back on track against a Giants team that has not shown that they are ready to challenge at the top end this season.

On defense, New York is giving up 118.8 rushing yards per game, which one would assume would make it ideal for a running back like Charbonnet. Here is what we know so far that will help fantasy football managers make a choice.

Should I drop Zach Charbonnet for Week 5 fantasy football?

Zach Charbonnet is the second running back on the depth chart and his performance against the Dolphins was only possible because starter Kenneth Walker did not feature in that game. Whenever the latter has been available, he has taken the majority of the snaps.

In Week 1 and Week 4, when Walker was playing, Charbonnet only had 10 snaps 27 yards, and no touchdowns. In the last game against the Lions, even though the Seahawks lost, their starting running back had 80 yards on 12 carries and three touchdowns. Therefore, one does not expect Walker to suddenly be benched or start sharing an equal workload with Charbonnet.

This indicates to us that Seattle does not rotate their running backs much and prefers to give most of the snaps to the player atop the depth chart. Hence, fantasy football managers should look at dropping Zach Charbonnet for Week 5 and consider if they can find better value elsewhere.

Zach Charbonnet's fantasy outlook for rest of 2024 season

Certain teams like to keep a running back room and make the players' position on the depth chart purely nominal for the position. For example, the Miami Dolphins use both Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane when both players are fit.

But the Seahawks' first-year head coach, Mike Macdonald, has not taken that approach. Last week, for example, right after Zach Charbonnet's performance against the Miami Dolphins, he got just two carries for a grand total of 15 yards.

Hence, going forward in the 2024 season, Charbonnet's position is uncertain. The NFL is a brutal league and one injury can change the calculus but it does not look like he is displacing Walker anytime soon.