Sleepers: Kenneth Walker Injury Boosts Zach Charbonnet’s Week 12 Value

Kenneth Walker III (glute) popped up on the injury report Friday, and he’s listed as questionable for Sunday’s game at Tennessee. Coach Mike Macdonald said Walker should play against the Titans, but this is a situation to monitor. If Walker is out, then Zach Charbonnet would be a must-start Fantasy running back in all leagues. But I also like Charbonnet as a sleeper, even if Walker is active.

In 2024, Walker missed six games due to injury, and Charbonnet averaged 17.5 PPR points in those outings, including two games with at least 25.7 PPR points. He has top-10 upside in all leagues if he was the featured back for the Seahawks.

We’ve seen Charbonnet have several quality Fantasy outings this season in tandem with Walker, mostly because of touchdowns. In fact, Charbonnet has more games with double digits in PPR (five) than Walker (four) since Charbonnet has more touchdowns (six to four).

This was supposed to be a big week for Walker, which could still happen, after Macdonald said Monday that “Ken’s showing that he’s earning more opportunities to get the ball.” Walker just had his best game of the season in Week 11 at the Rams with 16 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown and three catches for 44 yards on three targets, and he scored 20.1 PPR points.

But now that Walker might be at less than 100 percent, we could see Charbonnet continue to be an important part of the offense. And he has at least 12 total touches in seven of nine games this year.

The Titans are No. 8 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and seven running backs have scored at least 14.8 PPR points against Tennessee this season, with 14 total touchdowns. If Walker is active, then consider him a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues, and Charbonnet should be considered a high-end flex.

But if Walker is out, then Charbonnet would be a must-start running back in all leagues. Keep an eye on the injury report, and Charbonnet could be a league winner in Week 12.

Week 12 Sleepers