Los Angeles Chargers RB Austin Ekeler set fantasy football alarm bells ringing when he was seen having an ankle injury taped up on the bench last week. What is the latest on Ekeler’s status this week, is he expected to play in Week 15, and what options do fantasy managers have?
Update 12/16/21: The Los Angeles Chargers announced that Austin Ekeler would be active for their game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Is Austin Ekeler playing today against the Kansas City Chiefs?
The initial noise coming out of the Chargers was positive regarding Ekeler’s ankle injury. Brandon Staley was quoted as saying that Ekeler could have returned to the game Sunday if the situation dictated it. However, with the Chargers having a clear lead, the decision was made not to risk their star RB.
Therefore, the expectation was that there would be little in the way of question marks regarding Ekeler’s status this week. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. Ekeler was listed as a non-participant Monday, and he was limited on both Tuesday and Wednesday. He enters into Thursday listed as questionable. However, Ekeler is expected to suit up but may not get a full workload.
Ekeler has been impressive for fantasy managers in 2021
The 2021 season has been excellent for Ekeler and his fantasy managers. The Chargers RB has career-high totals in rushing yards (730) and rushing touchdowns (9). He is averaging 56.2 yards per game on 12.4 attempts per game. While those numbers in isolation do not sound that impressive alone, when combined with his receiving work, they are solid indeed.
Ekeler has added 535 receiving yards and 7 receiving touchdowns on 58 receptions from 75 targets. All told, that is 1,265 yards from scrimmage and 16 total touchdowns. That has left Ekeler with 19 fantasy points per game in half-PPR formats for a total of 247.5 points. Entering Week 15, he ranks second at the RB position in terms of total fantasy points and third in points per game.
What decisions face fantasy managers this week?
The situation with Ekeler is complex with the news he is expected to be active but may not receive a full workload. If he plays, it will be tough to bench him. The limited workload and chance of re-injury is a concern, but the risk of leaving him out is simply too great. Ekeler has scored double-digit fantasy points in half-PPR formats in 11 of 13 games this year.
If Ekeler is limited, fantasy managers are left with some conundrums. Second on the team in rush attempts is actually Justin Herbert. He is then followed by Larry Rountree III (36), Justin Jackson (29), and Joshua Kelley (21). Jackson has had the edge when it comes to the receiving game. He has 11 targets compared to a total of 3 for Kelley and Rountree.
To try and gauge what the Chargers might do with Ekeler limited, we have to go back to last year. Sure, we can look at last week, but that was a situation where the game was in hand and the Chargers did not have to get creative. This week, against the Chiefs, it might be quite different.
Looking at last year’s numbers, it is a tough call. Jackson averaged 12.3 rush attempts and 5.7 targets per game in the first three weeks Ekeler was out. Kelley, meanwhile, averaged 10 rush attempts and 2.3 targets in those three games. Then, in the second half of Ekeler’s absence, it was Kalen Ballage who stepped up in Jackson’s absence.
What does this tell us? If Ekeler is limited, the RB situation for the Chargers is a mess for fantasy purposes. Jackson probably has the best value in PPR or half-PPR formats. Jackson is also second on the team in red-zone rush attempts (12) behind Ekeler (36). With this in mind, it’s tough to project whether Rountree or Kelley will have any value this week.