NBA Prop of the Day
Jake Silverman
(FTN Fantasy is reacting to all the big fantasy news of the offseason! Follow along in our transaction tracker.)
Coming off the least efficient season of his career, now-former Los Angeles Chargers RB Austin Ekeler reportedly agreed to terms with the Washington Commanders Monday on a two-year deal worth up to $11.43 million.
Ekeler, who turns 29 in May, was a top-two fantasy back in each of 2021 and 2022, but he slipped to R26 in 2023, missing three games and seeing his yards per attempt drop from 4.5 to 3.5. After 20 and 18 touchdowns in the preceding two seasons, Ekeler scored only 6 times in the 2023 season, after an ill-fated trade request last offseason didn’t go anywhere.
Washington had a need for a second running back after Antonio Gibson agreed to terms on a deal with New England, and Ekeler fills that role. He and Brian Robinson now form a thunder-and-lightning sort of duo for the Commanders, with Robinson the primary ball carrier and Ekeler the change-of-pace/pass-catching option. If both are at their peak it’s a potentially elite pairing, as Ekeler has been one of the game’s best receiving running backs over the course of his career, but Ekeler will need to prove he still has juice after the disappointment of 2023.
For now, neither back is a guaranteed starter in fantasy, with both probably draftable as flex plays entering the 2024 season, but there’s enough upside that either (or even both) could become sure starters by midseason.
Meanwhile, the Chargers were never strong candidates to bring Ekeler back, and the door closed even further when the team agreed to terms on a deal with Gus Edwards earlier Monday. Los Angeles certainly isn’t done at running back.
