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Zach Charbonnet was a fantasy football star for the Seattle Seahawks, who went on to win Super Bowl LX in February, last season. He posted 874 scrimmage yards and 12 scrimmage touchdowns in a timeshare with Kenneth Walker III.
Charbonnet tore his ACL in the playoffs against the 49ers, which has put the start of his 2026 season in doubt ever since the injury.
On Wednesday, we got further confirmation about Charbonnet's injury, and it wasn't good news for him. A rookie in his same backfield certainly got some positive momentum, though.
Zach Charbonnet Officially Placed on PUP List by Seattle Seahawks
In an expected move, the Seahawks announced on Wednesday that running back Zach Charbonnet was moved to the physically unable to perform (PUP) list as the team opens training camp for veterans on July 24th.
Until his removal from the list, Charbonnet can not practice with the team but can be in the building to attend meetings. If the running back isn't removed from the list before the final roster cuts in August, he will be forced to miss at least the first four games of the 2026 season.
This was no surprise; Charbonnet's ACL injury from January typically has a 9-to-12 month recovery period.
Zach Charbonnet 2026 Fantasy Football Outlook
For someone with so much success last season, Charbonnet's 154.6 average draft position (ADP) at NFFC implies that it was fully expected by most that his season would be compromised by the knee injury.
This particular news doesn't impact Charbonnet's redraft outlook much. We'll all be watching with anticipation to see if he clears the list by the end of the preseason, which seems unlikely based on his recovery period. In leagues with more injured reserve (IR) spots, it could make sense to stash Charbonnet if he's indeed back after a handful of games to begin the year.
If healthy later in the season, it's reasonable to assume the fourth-year back will have some role in the Seattle backfield. He has 116 targets in three seasons for the Seahawks and saw a boost in goal-line work a year ago.
In dynasty formats, Charbonnet has also yet to turn 26, so his value might currently be supressed entering the last year of his contract. He has three-down upside for Seattle -- or another team -- following his recovery.
Fantasy Football Impact on Jadarian Price and the Seahawks' Backfield
This news could be a huge boost for Seattle's 2026 first-round pick at running back, Jadarian Price.
Most expect Price to lead the Seattle backfield in Charbonnet's stead, competing with just Emanuel Wilson (272 career touches) and George Holani (28 career touches) for snaps.
However, the Notre Dame product is a bit of a question mark when it comes to handling a substantial workload -- especially at the pro level. He handled no more than 15 carries in a single game behind Jeremiyah Love in college and caught 15 passes total with his limited snaps on third downs.
Klint Kubiak's departure from Seattle also raises questions about the offense's overall effectiveness in Sam Darnold's second season with the team.
Charbonnet's confirmed absence does officially lock in one less competitor for Price as a fantasy football sleeper, but there are questions about his role that still loom if his ADP begins to meteorically rise behind the assumption he's got the backfield all to himself.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/fantasy as Zach Charbonnet Injury Update Helps Case for Seahawks Rookie Fantasy Football Sleeper.
