Fantasy football managers thought they were hitting a home run by drafting Los Angeles Chargers RB Austin Ekeler in the first round of their drafts, but it’s certainly been a hit-or-miss campaign up to this point for the veteran RB.
After a solid Week 8 performance through the air, is this a perfect time to trade Ekeler? Let’s dive in and explore that possibility right here.
Austin Ekeler’s Rest-of-Season Outlook
It’s important to acknowledge that Ekeler remains one of the most talented RBs in the NFL. His ability as a receiving weapon out of the backfield is arguably the best in the league, and he can still make some big-time plays.
However, fantasy managers expected to have the RB from the past two seasons who was racking up touchdowns at a ridiculous clip, but that simply hasn’t happened here in 2023.
After scoring a jaw-dropping 38 total touchdowns the prior two seasons, Ekeler has just scored two total touchdowns so far in four games played this year. Additionally, he’s seen his efficiency on the ground plummet since returning from his injury.
After averaging 7.3 yards per attempt in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins, Ekeler has averaged just 2.33 yards per attempt over the past three games, and he’s finished inside of the top 24 RBs just once over that time frame.
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If Ekeler is not going to continue to find the end zone at an other-worldly rate, he’s going to take a tumble down the rest-of-season rankings to a low-end RB1 that will need heavy involvement in the receiving game to provide value.
There’s an argument to be made that it’s a wise move to trade on Ekeler’s past production and name recognition before his value continues to tumble further and further. Let’s look at some of the trades fantasy managers could consider for Ekeler and whether or not it would be smart to trade him away.
Should You Trade Ekeler in Fantasy Football?
Are you considering trading Ekeler? Our PFN Trade Analyzer allows you to find the best trades to make in seconds! It also allows us to see trending searches, which we’ve compiled a few of the most popular below.
Should You Trade Ekeler for Travis Etienne?
The PFN Trade Analyzer assigns Ekeler with a trade value of 90.1 in half-PPR scoring and 1QB formats. He’s clearly still a top-tier option, but there’s enough concern about his rest-of-season outlook to warrant considering a trade of this magnitude.
Travis Etienne carries a trade value of 92.5, so this is a move that the Trade Analyzer likes for Ekeler. The only thing to be aware of is that Etienne is on a bye in Week 9, so you’ll need to have a fill-in option if you do make this move.
Should You Trade Ekeler for Jonathan Taylor?
The PFN Trade Analyzer — as mentioned above — assigns Ekeler with a trade value of 90.1. In half-PPR scoring and 1QB formats, Jonathan Taylor is assigned a value of 67.7.
This clearly is a dropoff from Ekeler’s status, and you would need to add another RB depth piece to this trade to consider it.
Should You Trade Ekeler for Ja’Marr Chase?
Obviously, this trade is dependent upon the roster construction that you have currently and whether or not you have the depth at RB to absorb a move like that. You need to have multiple solid RBs on your roster before you trade away a borderline top-five option.
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Ekeler’s value of 90.1, though, is greater than Ja’Marr Chase’s trade value of 85.6 in half-PPR scoring formats, per the PFN Trade Analyzer. It’s in the same ballpark, but there’s the possibility that you could go up the rest-of-season WR rankings just a bit more.
Kyle Yates’ Rest-of-Season RB Rankings After Week 8
1) Christian McCaffrey | SF
2) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX
3) Kenneth Walker III | SEA
4) Austin Ekeler | LAC
5) Bijan Robinson | ATL
6) Breece Hall | NYJ
7) D’Andre Swift | PHI
8) Tony Pollard | DAL
9) Saquon Barkley | NYG
10) Jonathan Taylor | IND
11) Alvin Kamara | NO
12) Josh Jacobs | LV
13) David Montgomery | DET
14) Derrick Henry | TEN
15) Isiah Pacheco | KC
16) Raheem Mostert | MIA
17) Joe Mixon | CIN
18) James Cook | BUF
19) Aaron Jones | GB
20) Javonte Williams | DEN
21) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET
22) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS
23) Kyren Williams | LAR
24) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE
25) Rachaad White | TB
26) Dameon Pierce | HOU
27) Alexander Mattison | MIN
28) Najee Harris | PIT
29) James Conner | ARI
30) Jaylen Warren | PIT
31) Jerome Ford | CLE
32) Tyjae Spears | TEN
33) Chuba Hubbard | CAR
34) Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN
35) Roschon Johnson | CHI
36) Zach Charbonnet | SEA
37) Zack Moss | IND
38) Tyler Allgeier | ATL
39) Gus Edwards | BAL
40) De’Von Achane | MIA
41) Kareem Hunt | CLE
42) Miles Sanders | CAR
43) AJ Dillon | GB
44) Justice Hill | BAL
45) Khalil Herbert | CHI
46) Jeff Wilson Jr. | MIA
47) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI
48) D’Onta Foreman | CHI
49) Emari Demercado | ARI
50) Ezekiel Elliott | NE
51) Antonio Gibson | WAS
52) Joshua Kelley | LAC
53) Elijah Mitchell | SF
54) Cam Akers | MIN
55) Rico Dowdle | DAL
56) Devin Singletary | HOU
57) Latavius Murray | BUF
58) Jordan Mason | SF
59) Tank Bigsby | JAX
60) Jerick McKinnon | KC
61) Darrell Henderson Jr. | LAR
62) Jamaal Williams | NO
63) Samaje Perine | DEN
64) Craig Reynolds | DET
65) Kendre Miller | NO
66) Dalvin Cook | NYJ
67) Pierre Strong Jr. | CLE
68) Ronnie Rivers | LAR
69) Matt Breida | NYG
70) Clyde Edwards-Helaire | KC
71) Salvon Ahmed | MIA
72) Damien Harris | BUF
73) Zamir White | LV
74) Keaontay Ingram | ARI
75) Keaton Mitchell | BAL
76) Deuce Vaughn | DAL
77) Zach Evans | LAR
78) Royce Freeman | LAR
79) Rashaad Penny | PHI
80) Michael Carter | NYJ
81) Sean Tucker | TB
82) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS
83) Cordarrelle Patterson | ATL
84) Leonard Fournette | FA
85) Boston Scott | PHI
86) Trayveon Williams | CIN
87) Ty Chandler | MIN
88) Melvin Gordon III | BAL
89) Ke’Shawn Vaughn | TB
90) Chase Brown | CIN
91) Chris Evans | CIN
92) Eric Gray | NYG
93) Damien Williams | ARI
94) Isaiah Spiller | LAC
95) D’Ernest Johnson | JAX
96) Chase Edmonds | TB
97) Myles Gaskin | LAR
98) JaMycal Hasty | JAX
99) Deon Jackson | FA
100) DeWayne McBride | MIN
101) Israel Abanikanda | NYJ
102) DeeJay Dallas | SEA
103) Malik Davis | DAL
104) Tony Jones Jr. | ARI
105) James Robinson | FA
106) Ronald Jones II | FA
107) Tyrion Davis-Price | SF
108) Kenyan Drake | BAL
109) Ameer Abdullah | LV
110) Raheem Blackshear | CAR
111) Chris Brooks | MIA
112) Gary Brightwell | NYG
113) Kene Nwangwu | MIN
114) Patrick Taylor Jr. | GB
115) Kenny McIntosh | SEA
116) Elijah Dotson | LAC
117) Brandon Bolden | LV
118) Mike Boone | HOU
119) Kyle Juszczyk | SF
120) Darrel Williams | FA
121) Deneric Prince | KC
122) Ty Johnson | BUF
123) Kevin Harris | NE
124) J.D. McKissic | FA
125) Rex Burkhead | FA
126) Mark Ingram II | FA
127) Dontrell Hilliard | FA
Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Start/Sit Optimizer and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!