Zach Charbonnet Injury Is Good News For Kenneth Walker & Seattle Seahawks Sleeper

Zach Charbonnet’s knee injury could open the door for a Kenneth Walker III playoff surge and introduce new Seattle Seahawks sleeper value ahead of the NFC Championship.

Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) rushes the ball against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at Levi's Stadium. | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

On Saturday night in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs, the Seattle Seahawks destroyed the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 41 - 6. However, the Seahawks did not come out of this game unscathed. Seahawks' running back Zach Charbonnet suffered a knee injury and never returned to the game. Despite how serious the injury appeared to be, head coach Mike McDonald did tell reporters that Charbonnet's knee is structurally intact. 

While this reporter is extremely positive, especially for his long-term future, we would be a bit surprised if Charbonnet is able to suit up for the NFC Championship game against the Los Angeles Rams. With that said, we can't rule him out for this game and will have to monitor the situation until he is officially ruled out or cleared to play. We should have a much better idea by Friday. We are more optimistic that he would be able to play if the Seahawks were to defeat the Rams this weekend and advance to the Super Bowl.  

With Charbonnet sidelined on Saturday, Kenneth Walker III stepped into a near bell-cow role, with Velus Jones Jr stepping in as the backup running back. Walker rushed 19 times for 116 yards and three touchdowns, and caught three passes for 29 yards. Jones saw six carries for 10 yards. We would expect that there will be another running back in the mix if Charbonnet is unable to play, and Rashid Shaheed could also get more work with carries, screens, and end-arounds. 

Fantasy Football Impact of Zach Charbonnet Injury

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) leaves the field following an NFC Divisional Round game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks

If Charbonnet is sidelined or less than 100%, Walker gets a huge boost. He showed against the 49ers what he was capable of with a full workload. We'd expect him to excel again this week, despite the tougher matchup, if he once again gets in the area of 20 opportunities. You can make a strong case that he is the best fantasy running back on the slate this week. 

Ken Walker without Zach Charbonnet is exactly what you thought it would be pic.twitter.com/sd6lF4wbKz

— FantasyPros (@FantasyPros) January 18, 2026

Velus Jones Jr, Seattle Seahawks

Jones would become a DFS dart throw if Charbonnet doesn't play this week. Still, we would be careful and keep a close eye on which running backs the Seahawks make active next week. The assumption now has to be that Jones will serve as the clear RB2, but things can change in a hurry. 

Rashid Shaheed, Seattle Seahawks

With Charbonnet missing in the rushing attack, we'd expect Shaheed to get more work behind the line of scrimmage. Whether that's from handoffs, receptions, or trick plays. He will have more upside and opportunities in this game.