Zach Charbonnet 2026 Fantasy Football Outlook: Knee Injury, Starting Season on Active/PUP List 24mLink copied!

Aug 30, 2026, 9:30 PM ET

One of the Seattle Seahawks' most productive skill players in 2025 was running back Zach Charbonnet (knee), but a January ACL tear in the team's NFC Divisional-Round game against the 49ers has created doubt about Charbonnet's early-season availability for 2026. He underwent surgery on February 20 to repair his left knee. According to NFL.com's Kevin Patra, head coach Mike McDonald hasn't ruled out Charbonnet being available for Week 1, but it seems like an unlikely timeline - roughly nine months from the injury. Seattle's championship-winning duo has been split up by both Charbonnet's injury and Kenneth Walker III's departure in free agency, so the team has reshaped its backfield with first-round rookie Jadarian Price and Emanuel Wilson joining George Holani (24 touches in 2025) in what seems to be an open, three-way competition. Considering that's an entirely unproven group, it is possible that Charbonnet, who totaled 874 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns in a reserve role behind Walker III, is the lead tailback when he's healthy and at full speed. Still, that's a challenging timeline to project at this stage. His situation has also slightly changed, given that last year's offensive playcaller, Klint Kubiak, has departed for the head coaching job in Las Vegas. RotoBaller's overall PPR rankings slot Charbonnet at No. 204 overall due to the uncertainty, but he might be a worthwhile late-round dart if a more positive prognosis is provided closer to the preseason. In dynasty formats, it's likely optimal to hold Charbonnet to see if he can finally take advantage of a backfield without Walker III and assume the lead role. Update 8/30/26: Charbonnet has been placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. He'll miss at least four games. Expect Price, Wilson, and Holani to see an uptick in touches while Charbonnet is sidelined.--Austin Swaim