Austin

Ekeler

2023: After a go-nowhere contract protest resulted in only a cursory adjustment, Ekeler promptly suffered his worst nightmare when he went down with a Week 1 high-ankle sprain. He was back by Week 5 but not as the same Austin Ekeler fantasy managers had grown accustomed to. Ekeler left bushels of yards on the field and he struggled to tack on gains after contact. He did remain reasonably effective and efficient as a pass catcher, though his 51 receptions were his fewest in five years. 

What’s changed: New Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh never pretended he might keep Ekeler around, letting him quietly depart for the Commanders in free agency. Locked into third-down duties for Kliff Kingsbury and company, Ekeler also has the early-down complement he never had in L.A. in Brian Robinson. The question is whether Robinson will maintain his grip on goal-line work or if the Commanders will lean on Ekeler’s experience inside the five.

Outlook: This is not a great career outcome for Ekeler, but he’s at least healthy. Freed from last year’s toxic setup, Ekeler could sneak back into the top 24 PPR running backs.