Zach Charbonnet 'truthers' among NFL's biggest losers in Week 2

For a while now, there's been a debate within the Seattle Seahawks fanbase over who should be the team's feature running back.

On one hand, Kenneth Walker III has been the team's leading running back since he was a rookie in 2022, but his production has declined each year since then and is coming off a season in which he rushed for a paltry 3.7 yards per carry. On the other, Zach Charbonnet has been improving since his rookie season in 2023, and despite sharing a nearly identical stat line to Walker last year, he was noticeably more efficient with his carries.

Add in the fact that Walker is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and it's not too hard to see why many thought Charbonnet would take over as the feature back.

Aug 15, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) rushes for a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Unfortunately for those people, Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers dealt a major blow to that narrative. Charbonnet had one of his worst games as a pro, rushing for just 10 yards on 15 carries. Walker, on the other hand, had his best game in a long time, rushing for 105 yards and a touchdown on only 13 carries.

Zach Charbonnet's stock down after quiet game vs. Steelers

According to Sportsnaut's Matt Johnson, Charbonnet "truthers" were among Week 2's biggest losers in the fantasy football realm.

"It’s easy to see why many hoped early this season that Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet would become a fantasy football darling," Johnson wrote. "Play-caller Klint Kubiak wants this to be a run-heavy team, taking some of this offense on Sam Darnold’s shoulders. Coming out of Week 2, Seattle has the eighth-highest rate of run plays (48.25 percent) in the NFL. Unfortunately, Charbonnet isn’t doing much with his chances.

"He’s received 27 carries this season, with the longest going for 7 yards. While Kenneth Walker was ineffective in Week 1 (20 yards on 10 carries), he averaged 8.1 yards a pop with 105 rushing yards on Sunday versus Pittsburgh. Unsurprisingly, Charbonnet doesn’t have a target this season on 56 pass attempts from Darnold. Charbonnet is a great option if Walker goes down, but he’s given this coaching staff no reason to let him be the featured ball-carrier in this offense."

With a career average of just four yards per carry, Charbonnet hasn't exactly been efficient at this level. However, he's definitely far better than what he showed on Sunday, and the Seahawks have faith in him to get back on track.

Zach Charbonnet's stock down after quiet game vs. Steelers

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