Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III took control of the backfield in his return from an oblique injury Monday night. He claimed 86% of the team's RB carries in the loss to the Lions, rushing for 80 yards and 3 TDs on his 12 carries. RB Zach Charbonnet matched Walker with 5 targets but also trailed him in pass routes, 32-19, according to Pro Football Focus.
Both of Charbonnet's carries came late in the fourth quarter. He proved more involved in the passing game earlier, but it's clear that Walker leads this backfield when healthy.
Overall passing volume got inflated by a whopping 90 offensive plays for Seattle, including 61 dropbacks for QB Geno Smith.
Walker looked good on a night that included three runs of 20+ yards. One of those was a field-reversing 21-yard bolt for a fourth-quarter TD.
Walker now has 4 TDs through two games and is averaging 5.7 yards per rush. Neither of those rates is going to hold up. But he's an easy weekly starter going forward.
Next comes a posh Week 5 matchup with the Giants at home.
Charbonnet remains a high-level handcuff, who dominated backfield work for the two games Walker missed. But he's unlikely to offer standalone value when Walker's healthy.
Charbonnet got 10 touches in Week 1, with Walker in the lineup, including just 2 receptions.
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