Fantasy Football Week 2 Start/Sit: Zach Charbonnet vs. Jerome Ford, David Montgomery, J.K. Dobbins, Aaron Jones

Ted breaks down whether to start Zach Charbonnet over similar RBs in fantasy football with Kenneth Walker out.

Kenneth Walker has been ruled out for Week 2 with an oblique injury. If you have Zach Charbonnet on a fantasy football roster, this is the moment you've been waiting for. However, this early in the season and given how late Charbonnet was being drafted, you may not have an obvious spot to plug Charbonnet into your lineups. 

That's where we here at FantasaySP come in. You can use our Start/Sit Tool to help with your toughest decisions. Of course this tool shows you each player's projected production. However, it also looks at what other managers with the same two players are doing. 
The wisdom of the crowds is a very powerful tool, so this is incredibly valuable data.

With that said, these situations sometimes need a deeper dive. If you're deciding between Charbonnet and another RB2 type for your lineup this week, read on.

Zach Charbonnet Week 2 Fantasy Outlook

Let's start by looking at the man of the hour. Charbonnet was an exciting prospect coming out of UCLA, but his landing spot in Seattle was not ideal, to say the least. Despite many analysts saying he was talented enough to be an NFL RB1, Charbonnet found himself playing second fiddle to another talented young RB, Kenneth Walker III and finished his rookie season averaging under 6.0 Half-PPR points per game.

Coming into 2024, there was hope that perhaps the Seahawks' new coaching staff would get Charbonnet more involved. In Week 1, at least, that wasn't the case, as the sophomore only had a few touches before Walker exited due to injury. However, Walker is still injured, so that doesn't matter now. What matters is how Charbonnet has performed before with Walker out.

In 2023, Walker missed Week 12 and Week 13, leaving Charbonnet as the Seahawks' lead back. In those two games, Charbonnet averaged 16.5 carries, three targets, and 12.1 Half-PPR fantasy points. It's also worth noting that DeeJay Dallas, who was heavily involved as a receiving back in those two games, is now gone. Those two games were also against the 49ers and Cowboys, not ideal matchups.

Unfortunately, things don't look much better for Charbonnet matchup-wise this week. The Seahawks are in New England to visit a Patriots team that just shut down the Bengals' offense. However, Charbonnet's role should be able to overcome any matchup concerns, especially with Dallas gone. Walker was clearly in line for a massive workload, and Charbonnet may actually see an even larger share of the work with the RB1 out; he doesn't have to compete with himself. That level of volume on a decent offense puts him in the RB2 conversation, at least, and he is absolutely worth starting in any format if you don't have another solid option. If you do, read on.

Zach Charbonnet vs. Jerome Ford

Projecting Charbonnet for a bell-cow role may be wishful thinking, but Jerome Ford already had a bell-cow role in Week 1. He saw a 73% snap share, a 64% route participation rate, and all but two of the team's RB carries. That is excellent usage in all phases. His matchup against the Jaguars' defense is also more beatable than Charbonnet's matchup with the Patriots'.

On the other hand, however, the Browns' offense looked terrible in Week 1. Despite their tougher matchup, the Seahawks' team total is higher than the Browns', 20.5 to 19.5. There's also a solid argument that Charbonnet is simply a more talented player than Ford. Last season, Charbonnet averaged 0.28 yards over expected per carry, whereas Ford was at 0.2 yards below expected. So Charbonnet is the better player, on an offense that projects better, and should see a similar role. I'm sure you see where I'm going with this.

Start: Zach Charbonnet

Zach Charbonnet vs. David Montgomery

Despite the wishes of all Jahmyr Gibbs managers, Montgomery was still heavily involved in the Lions' Week 1 game. He finished with 17 rushes for 91 yards and a touchdown, plus one reception for two yards. There aren't many offenses good enough to support two weekly RB2s, but this Lions offense can. Their offensive line is the best in the business, and they have a massive 30-point total for their matchup with the Buccaneers. 

With that said, it's hard to justify starting a player who isn't the lead back in their offense over a talented player projected for a bell-cow workload. Montgomery could absolutely go off for two touchdowns today, but his role in the receiving game is limited enough that he will need those touchdowns to have a big day. Charbonnet can get it done in multiple ways, so I'm backing him.  

Start: Zach Charbonnet

Zach Charbonnet vs. J.K. Dobbins

This question really comes down to one thing: How much work is Jim Harbaugh going to give Dobbins? Dobbins looked excellent in Week 1, but he still finished with one fewer carry than Gus Edwards. If that split is still 50/50 or even shifts to just 60/40 in Dobbins' favor, Charbonnet is the play here. As with Montgomery, volume is king.

But if he gets a full workload, Dobbins could be one of the best plays of the week. The Chargers are playing the Panthers today, the best matchup for running backs in the league. Not only is their run defense bad, but the Panthers' offense looked so putrid last week that we can project the Chargers to have a lead early and face plenty of short fields. 

And I may be being overly optimistic, but I am projecting a dramatic shift in Dobbins' favor in the Chargers' backfield this week. In Week 1, he averaged over 10 more yards versus expected per carry than Gus Edwards. These efficiency stats are noisy in small samples, but the eye test said the same thing: Dobbins' PFF Rush Grade was over 20 points above Edwards'. If we can see this, I'm sure Harbaugh and Greg Roman did, and Dobbins should take the lead in this backfield in a juicy matchup.

Start: J.K. Dobbins 

Zach Charbonnet vs. Aaron Jones

Jones looked excellent in his Minnesota debut, racking up 94 yards and a TD on just 14 carries. He also saw two targets, although he actually ran just one more route than fellow Vikings RB Ty Chandler. In fact, Chandler was surprisingly involved in all facets of the game, finishing with eight carries and three receptions of his own. 

The Vikings also have a tough matchup this week against the 49ers, one of the league's toughest defenses. In 2023, the 49ers were the fifth-worst matchup for opposing RBs, and they held Breece Hall relatively in check in Week 1. Jones has the efficiency to pay off a smaller role, but I still prefer Charbonnet's volume.  

Start: Zach Charbonnet

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