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One of the major stories of the offseason throughout the NFL was the running back free agency market, and Austin Ekeler was one the backs upset with his contract situation. With Ekeler looking for a new contract that it seems the Chargers aren’t willing to pay him, he will be playing to try to prove something this season while also putting out film to the other 31 teams in the NFL.
Below, we look at Austin Ekeler‘s 2023 fantasy football average draft position (ADP) and where you should draft him.
Ekeler is a top back because of the amount of touches he gets in both the running and passing games, as he eclipsed 200 rushing attempts and 125 passing targets last year. Ekeler is one of the favorite targets for QB Justin Herbert in a very talented Chargers offense. He has been a top fantasy back for each of the last 2 years, and I expect nothing less from him entering the 2023 season.
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Austin Ekeler’s ADP: 11.29
(ADP data courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com; last updated at time of this publishing – ADPs continually change as more drafts occur)
Ekeler’s ADP of 11.29 has him being drafted in the late 1st round of most leagues, which to me makes sense, given the amount of touchdowns Ekeler gets combined with his versatility in both the passing and running games.
The only backs with ADPs lower than Ekeler are San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey at 6.82 and Atlanta Falcons rookie RB Bijan Robinson at 7.84. Robinson’s ADP being higher than Ekeler’s is a little surprising to me as he is a rookie, and the Falcons’ backfield is very talented, but many people are projecting Robinson to get 300+ touches this year.
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Austin Ekeler’s 2022 stats
Games: 17
Carries | rushing yards: 202 | 915
Rushing touchdowns: 13
Receptions | receiving yards: 107 | 722
Receiving touchdowns: 5
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Where should you draft Ekeler?
Ekeler’s fantasy value should get a boost this year given his contract situation and the versatility of the Chargers’ offense. I would feel very confident having Ekeler as a RB1 because of his versatility and touchdown numbers.
If McCaffrey is already off the board when you come up in the 1st round, you should take Ekeler. He has finished 4th or better in RB fantasy points in 3 of the past 4 seasons, and his 18 total touchdowns last year ranked 1st in the league. He drops a couple spots in non-PPR formats because you can’t count on him for 18 TDs again this year.
Ekeler isn’t the type of back that will get 1,500+ rushing yards, but he will get a lot of targets in the passing game, which is great for PPR leagues.
The Chargers have a lot of threats in the passing game with WR Mike Williams and WR Keenan Allen, but what helps Ekeler’s draft stock is how many red-zone looks he gets. He is really the only viable threat in the running game for Los Angeles as well.
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