Fantasy Football Outlook: Zach Charbonnet, Tyjae Spears, Keaton Mitchell, Justice Hill

Every week we’ll bring you my rankings and tiers. You can find the full weekly fantasy football article here. Below we dive into a few notable players ahead of this weekend’s games.

Fantasy Football Outlook

Zach Charbonnet has played more snaps than Kenneth Walker in each of Seattle’s last two games. Is it purely because Walker has been dealing with a calf ailment, or are the Seahawks moving toward a split backfield? I think it’s a little of both, honestly. Walker has earned his place as Seattle’s lead RB, and there’s no questioning KW3’s talent or what he’s accomplished in the NFL so far. But Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll runs a true meritocracy, and if you’re good, you’re going to earn playing time. Charbonnet is good. PFF has given Charbonnet a sterling 76.2 rushing grade this season, which is slightly better than Walker’s 75.4 grade. I think we’ll continue to see Charbonnet get opportunities. I have Walker ranked RB17 this week in a home matchup vs. Washington, and Charbonnet is my RB32.

Tyjae Spears is basically Jaylen Warren lite. Like Warren, Spears has been impressive in a supporting role. Warren had 11 carries for 88 yards last week against the Titans, but it was the first time all year that Warren has had double-digit carries and the first time he’s had more than 40 rushing yards in a game. Spears is averaging about two fewer carries and one fewer reception a game than Warren. Spears also has a tough matchup this week against the Buccaneers, who have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to running backs. Spears is not an appealing lineup option this week.

Four possibilities for Keaton Mitchell: (1) He remains a distant third in the Baltimore backfield behind Gud Edwards and Justice Hill; (2) Mitchell makes it a messy three-way backfield; (3) Mitchell supplants Justice Hill as the lightning to Edwards’ thunder; or (4) Mitchell is the new Chris “CJ2K” Johnson — an ultra-fast runner from East Carolina who takes the league by storm. That last possibility is a true longshot — a top 1% outcome. Possibilities No. 1 and No. 2 are far more likely outcomes, and neither would make Mitchell a viable weekly fantasy starter. Mitchell is exciting and intriguing, but I’m being cautious with his ranking (RB44) against a tough Cleveland defense.