Is Kenneth Walker III Injured or Playing In Week 2? Should I Start Zach Charbonnet For Fantasy Football?

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III had a great start to 2024, racking up 103 yards, a touchdown, and two catches for six yards, good for 18.9 PPR fantasy points.

Walker had somewhat of a down year in 2023 with multiple dud games, but he is still a fantastic talent and likely struggled due to injuries decimating the offensive line.

Is Walker injured for Week 2? Will he start, or will RB Zach Charbonnet get the nod? Let's dive in.

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Is Kenneth Walker III Playing In Week 2?

UPDATE: Walker has officially been ruled OUT for Week 2

As of now, it's still unclear if Walker will play in Week 2. So far, it's looking like he will have a good chance of missing the game, though. But even though he's missed two practices in a row, Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald thinks he has a solid chance of being good for the game.

#Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald on whether Kenneth Walker (abdomen) is okay:

“We think so. Got a little bit of a muscle thing. We’ll figure it out moving forward, but optimistic.” pic.twitter.com/ujc0j34keu

— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) September 9, 2024

Fantasy managers have reasons to be distrustful of coach-speak, though, after the situation with 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey. Both McCaffrey and his head coach, Kyle Shanahan, expressed confidence that he would play, and we saw that definitely didn't happen. McCaffrey's status is up in the air for Week 2 as well.

Coaches often are overly optimistic about the injury statuses of their players, and it's possible MacDonald knows something more that he's not sharing, but his words are all we have to go off of anecdotally. Perhaps it will end up being more revealing that Walker missed two straight practices, but those could also be veteran rest days.

UPDATE: Walker III is now listed as doubtful on the injury report, making him unlikely to play in Week 2.

Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III (oblique) is listed as doubtful to play on Sunday against the Patriots.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 13, 2024

Should I Start Zach Charbonnet for Fantasy Football in Week 2?

If Walker plays, you start him. However, if he misses the game, Charbonnet is a fine start. He's filled in well for Walker in the past and has pass-catching upside. He even scored a receiving touchdown in Week 1 when Walker was starting.

Zach Charbonnet RB receiving touchdown, smart play #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/Bjb7DGApMY

— 𝚂𝚒 𝚆𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚊 (@uid_max) September 8, 2024

Charbonnet is a talented RB in his own right and should be able to deliver a fantasy-relevant performance if Walker is not able to go. Walker owners will be glad to have him as a handcuff, as he's usually worth starting when he's the RB1 of a particular game.

Both are viable options as the starter, and both can be started with confidence in their respective favorable situations, no matter the opponent. Some backfields are just valuable to buy into, and Seattle's is one of them. If Walker doesn't play, Charbonnet can provide a great performance in PPR leagues and be fine in non-PPR formats.

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