Week 12 Waiver Wire Target: Add Zach Charbonnet with Kenneth Walker Banged Up?

Addressing whether or not you should target Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet after the injury to Kenneth Walker.

Seattle Seahawks rookie running back Zach Charbonnet is a player I’ve been telling fantasy owners to pick up for weeks. 

He’s been getting plenty of playing time and a handful of touches every week in a backup role to Kenneth Walker. The lead back went down with an injury in week 11, which could mean Charbonnet is in line for a couple starts and bigger workloads going forward.

Should you add Charbonnet before week 12? Can you immediately plug him into your starting lineup? Let’s discuss

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Week 11 Review

Walker injured his oblique in the team’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams in week 11. It appears to be a pretty significant injury, and at the very least will likely force Walker to miss week 12, which is a Thanksgiving night game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Walker played just seven offensive snaps before leaving with the injury. Charbonnet ended up playing 55 offensive snaps as a result, which was 85% of the team’s total. DeeJay Dallas covered seven offensive snaps for Seattle.

Walker finished with 18 rushing yards on four carries, while also hauling in a pass that lost 2 yards. Charbonnet got 15 carries, tallying 47 yards. He also caught all six of his targets for 22 yards. Dallas had a 4-yard run and 10-yard reception on his lone two touches.

Charbonnet’s Season So Far

While week 11 was the first time Charbonnet topped 45 offensive snaps in a game, his playing time has been increasing of late.

Since he missed the game in week 7, Charbonnet has played at least 27 offensive snaps in each of the past four contests. That was over 50% of the team’s total snaps in each instance.

Charbonnet hadn’t topped 50 scrimmage yards in a contest going into the past four games, but has three contests with 60 or more scrimmage yards now. His 69 scrimmage yards in week 11 was a new season high.

While the numbers don’t necessarily jump off the page, he was a player I liked in fantasy for a couple reasons. One, he was getting plenty of snaps every single week, even with Walker serving as the lead back. Second, Charbonnet had been producing enough big plays to consider him a possible starter in deeper leagues. Finally, being a backup running back, there was always the chance for an injury to Walker.

Now that the injury scenario is being played out, Charbonnet might just be the hottest running back on the waiver wire this week.

Week 12 Fantasy Outlook

Until we know more details on Walker’s injury, all we can do is speculate.

With the Seahawks playing on Thursday night, it’s a pretty safe bet that Walker is at least going to miss that contest. That means Charbonnet should serve as the lead back after getting a season-high 21 touches this past contest.

If Walker is forced to go on injured reserve, I could see the Seahawks bringing in another RB to serve as some insurance in case another injury were to happen. Walker, Charbonnet and Dallas are the only running backs on the active roster. Kenny McIntosh is on IR, and Bryant Koback is on the team’s practice squad.

As I mentioned before, coming into week 11, Charbonnet had been producing enough big plays in his limited opportunities to consider him a possible starter in deeper leagues. His 3.3 yards per touch in week 11 was his second-lowest output of the season, and definitely shouldn't scare you off from adding him before week 12. The Rams’ defense does a good job in slowing running backs, so Charbonnet simply couldn’t get much going.

If Walker doesn’t play in week 12, Charbonnet should be the workhorse back, and his touches alone should make him a fantasy starter.

The matchup with the 49ers is a similar one to facing the Rams. Backs typically find a little more success against San Fran as pass catchers, and Charbonnet can certainly make a difference in that aspect of the game.

Should You Add/Start Charbonnet?

The answer to whether or not you should start Charbonnet should be pretty clear by now. I would absolutely put in a waiver claim for Charbonnet, and unless my fantasy team was desperately lacking at another position, Charbonnet would be my No. 1 priority.

If your league uses free agent acquisition budget (FAAB), he might be the highest bid of the week. Last week, Minnesota Vikings’ Ty Chandler finished at a 12% bid budget figure. Charbonnet is in a pretty similar situation, and I’d argue his fantasy upside is higher than Chandler, so I’d expect Charbonnet’s number to be even higher.

Charbonnet is currently owned in 55% of leagues, and depending on the Walker injury update, I would anticipate that figure to be fairly close to 100% by the time the Seahawks play on Thursday.

Another reason I like adding Charbonnet this week is because this could be more than a one-week move - if Walker were to miss extended time. The Seahawks have a brutal schedule, at least from a running back’s perspective - with games against the Dallas Cowboys, 49ers and Eagles over the next month - but it’s never a bad idea to have a team’s No. 1 option on your team, especially in the fantasy playoffs.

Regarding Thursday’s game, if Walker is ruled out, Charbonnet is a starter for week 12 in my eyes, even given his tough matchup. His output might not make him a top-five fantasy option at the position, but the big workload should give him ample opportunities to contribute and put up at least an average fantasy showing. I like him to finish as a top-12 fantasy RB, and especially like him in PPR formats.

If you are stacked at RB, then Charbonnet is still a guy I’d try to sneak into your lineup as a flex guy. I know it’s not wise to burn a flex spot on a Thursday night player, so maybe you reconfigure your lineup accordingly, but I’d do my best to get Charbonnet in my lineup.

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