The Seattle Seahawks selected running back Zach Charbonnet in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Charbonnet played his first two college seasons at Michigan before tearing it up at UCLA in 2021 and 2022. He ran for 2,696 yards and 27 touchdowns in two years at UCLA.
Charbonnet will likely split time with Kenneth Walker III in Seattle's backfield, but we haven't seen much from the rookie so far in training camp to assume that. He is already dealing with an injury.
Is Charbonnet injured or healthy? Is his injury serious? Let's dive in.
Is Zach Charbonnet Injured Or Healthy?
Unfortunately, the rookie is already injured just one week into training camp. According to Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, Charbonnet will be out "indefinitely" with a shoulder injury.
There's also no footage about Charbonnet's shoulder injury. All we know is that he will be out "indefinitely," which is not a good sign for the rookie. It sounds like the former UCLA star could be out for a while with no time frame set for his return. Walker is also week-to-week with a groin issue.
We don't know what type of shoulder injury Charbonnet is dealing with. The rookie missed Saturday and Sunday's practice before Carroll made comments about the injury "creeping up" on the 22-year-old.
Zach Charbonnet 2023 Fantasy Football Outlook
While Charbonnet is the RB2 in Seattle, there is a case for the rookie to have a strong season. The Seahawks surprisingly selected him in the second round, despite having other needs. So, the team is definitely going to be using him as a complement to Walker in the run game.
It's always tricky to trust rookie running backs in fantasy, especially with a player like Charbonnet. He is the backup to Walker in Seattle's backfield. So, opportunities might be limited.
The limited opportunities might make it tough to draft Charbonnet later in fantasy leagues. The Seahawks only ran the ball 40.7% of the time last year, and that number might not increase with Jaxon Smith-Njigba's arrival. The rookie from UCLA will have his big moments in fantasy, but he might serve better as a handcuff to Walker this season.
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