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Will Zach Charbonnet start for the Seattle Seahawks when he returns? John Johnson breaks down the Zach Charbonnet return timeline and fantasy football outlook ahead of Week 5.
Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (knee), a key contributor for his team during their 2025 Super Bowl run, tore his ACL in the playoffs last season and required season-ending surgery to correct the issue.
He remained heavily involved on offense last season, sharing the backfield with RB Kenneth Walker III. Walker is now dominating as the RB2 overall in PPR fantasy football leagues so far, meaning Charbonnet must have been a solid player to earn touches in that backfield.
But things are different now. Walker is gone, and the Seahawks drafted a rookie RB in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. They also looked elsewhere to add depth to their RB room, signing Emanuel Wilson, formerly of the Green Bay Packers. So is Charbonnet the starter when he returns?
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Will Zach Charbonnet Start For The Seattle Seahawks When He Returns?
When he returns, maybe not. He's recovering from a major knee injury and will have to use the coming weeks to rebuild strength in his affected leg. In a video of Charbonnet at practice, you can see a major difference in the size of his quadriceps muscles.
His left quad is much smaller than his right quad due to atrophy that naturally occurred. It will take time to get the muscles closer to an even size. Such a difference in muscle mass could increase the risk of further injury. And players coming back so soon from ACL tears tend to have restricted touches.
He's back!
Zach Charbonnet officially returns to practice https://t.co/uemx8aEt6Q
— Niko Tamurian (@NikoTamurian) October 1, 2026
Charbonnet was probably never planned to be a workhorse RB this season. He wasn't last season, when he was often out-touched by Walker, and the Seahawks using a first-round pick on RB Jadarian Price (chest) seemed to signify that there would be another relatively even backfield split.
Things have changed, with Price now on injured reserve and expected to miss extended time. The aforementioned Wilson had a huge role in Week 4, but has been inefficient this season, averaging just under 3.9 yards per carry.
2nd TD for Zach Charbonnet!
HOUvsSEA on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App https://t.co/T4rIirFnLK— NFL (@NFL) October 21, 2025
His return timeline has been quicker than that of most players who tear their ACLs, so there's a chance he only suffered a partial tear and had it repaired.
Zach Charbonnet Fantasy Football Outlook
Everything depends on Price's prognosis. The Seahawks told the media that they didn't believe his chest ailment was season-ending. Charbonnet will need time to ramp back up to full participation in practice and get back on the field.
It may be four weeks or more before we see him with a big workload on the field, and by six to eight weeks from now, we could see Price back in action. If he can return to full health, we have a committee on our hands again.
ZACH CHARBONNET 51-YARD TD!
📺: #SEAvsAZ on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge https://t.co/P492n4pkXU— NFL (@NFL) December 8, 2024
So it's really tough to find a definitive answer for how things will work out. He should be rostered in all fantasy leagues without a doubt, as the potential RB1 for a potent offense moving forward. There may be a window of time in which he dominates touches, but a committee backfield for most of the rest of the season is possible as well.
Keep an eye on Price's return timeline in a few weeks. If he's out for most of the season, Charbonnet could see multiple weeks as a valuable fantasy RB2.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 5 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Emanuel Wilson, Bhayshul Tuten, Bucky Irving, Kyle Monangai, Rico Dowdle. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 5. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 5 of the 2026 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
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Popular Week 5 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 5 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 5 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 5 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Emanuel Wilson, Bhayshul Tuten, Bucky Irving, Kyle Monangai, Rico Dowdle compared to others:
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