The Chargers’ offense will shift to a run-heavy system, which means that fantasy football owners should have their eyes on running backs Austin Ekeler, Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley in their drafts.
Ekeler is the clear cut No. 1 RB on the depth chart, but the amount of carries he receives remains to be seen, simply because the team plans to use his versatility as a pass-catcher in the slot and out wide.
The battle between Jackson and Kelley to see who could be the guy who carries the load has been heated throughout training camp.
The third-year Jackson has impressed, but Kelley, the fourth-round pick, has made a statement to have the lead role, showing out as a runner and receiver up to this point.
How does USA Today’s The Huddle see the backfield panning out?
For Ekeler, they have him amassing 1,330 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns. Jackson is forecasted to post 400 yards on the ground for four touchdowns. Kelley is projected to rush for 350 yards and three touchdowns.
The Huddle predicts Jackson to enter the season as RB2 behind Kelley while the first-year player provides as a short-yardage specialist. But it wouldn’t surprising to see Kelley take on a bigger role early on in the season.
I’ve mentioned since when the Chargers drafted him that I could see the former UCLA product end up with a good amount of work out of the backfield.
It remains to be seen when the transition will occur, but I expect Los Angeles to give the majority of the load to Kelley after they take more of a committee approach.
The bottom line is Ekeler is worth an early round pick, while Jackson and Kelley both are talented, present plenty of upside, and are worthy of being handcuffed in your fantasy football drafts.
My projection: Kelley outproduces Jackson in 2020.
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