If you drafted Los Angeles Chargers RB Austin Ekeler for your fantasy football team, the start of this season has likely been frustrating. With only one game to his record so far in 2023, will we see Ekeler playing on Monday Night Football in Week 6, or will fantasy managers have to wait a little longer?
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Is Austin Ekeler Going To Play Week 6?
Ekeler has been dealing with an ankle injury since playing in Week 1, but it looks like he will play in Week 6. While it never really felt like the dreaded “high ankle sprain” diagnosis was openly discussed, the time frame of the injury matches. Ekeler has now missed four weeks and three games because of the injury.
The good news for fantasy managers is that the Chargers’ Week 5 bye has mitigated some of the damage. We don’t know whether Ekeler would have been ready for Week 5 or not, but had he played, it would likely have been in a limited capacity. The bye week has given him a full four weeks to be ready to return on Monday Night Football.
Ekeler himself was bullish over the past two weeks that he would be ready for the Cowboys. However, the first official confirmation we got was when Ekeler was a full participant on Thursday’s injury report from the Chargers. He remained a full participant all week and carries no injury status heading into Monday.
Should Fantasy Managers Trust Ekeler This Week?
In his one game this year, Ekeler was superb. He carried the ball 16 times for 117 yards and a touchdown. Additionally, he contributed four receptions for 47 yards on five targets in the passing game. That is a superb return from one of the best RB options for fantasy managers.
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In PFN’s Consensus Rankings, Ekeler sits inside the top 10 overall in 1QB formats and inside the top 15 in Superflex, regardless of the scoring format. Therefore, our analysts have little to no doubt that Ekeler should be back in lineups this week.
To put the trust our analysts have in Ekeler into context, the PFN Start/Sit Optimizer has Ekeler projected for 17 fantasy points in PPR scoring. His projected stat line is for 70 total yards, 5.4 receptions, and 0.8 total touchdowns. That projection puts him five points clear of Derrick Henry and equal to his opposite number on Monday Night Football, Tony Pollard.
The biggest perceived damage to fantasy value with Ekeler’s return is Joshua Kelley, who could see a reduction in opportunities. However, Ekeler’s return does not immediately make Kelley a player to sit. In Week 1, with Ekeler having a good game, Kelley also had 91 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 attempts.
Ekeler provides a boost to the entire offense, but the Chargers tend to try and limit his touches somewhat. Therefore, Ekeler’s presence can actually provide a boost for Kelley as it opens up more opportunities for the entire offense with Ekeler’s ability to make plays.