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Los Angeles Chargers star running back Austin Ekeler has had a slow start to the season. His magic is yet to be seen on the football field, with the Chargers slipping down the AFC West table. L.A. started their regular season with a win against the Las Vegas Raiders in week 1. The last two weeks were disappointing enough as they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Ekeler has had 32 rushing attempts in three games, gaining 80 yards with no touchdowns. This is a stark contrast to last season, where he recorded 20 total touchdowns (12 rushing and eight receiving). Will he be as effective as last year, or is it time to trade him?
Should you trade Austin Ekeler?
Week 3 was dispiriting for the Chargers as the Jaguars crushed them 38-10. Ekeler had just four rushing attempts, while gaining only five yards. He caught eight passes for 48 yards. Austin Ekeler was projected to be the RB1 for Week 3, and he went on to have a snap rate of 56%. He lost quite a few snaps to the Chargers' other running backs, Joshua Kelly and Sony Michel. In the last game, Michel made five rushing attempts for 22 yards.
In Week 4, the Chargers will face the Houston Texans, which could be an opportunity for Ekeler. The Texans stand at 0-2-1 and the Chargers will be looking to win. We would suggest holding on to Ekeler for at least this week as he is most likely to add some fantasy points in Week 4. This is a real prove-it week for the running back, who will be looking to reward his fantasy owners.
Austin Ekeler's NFL career
Austin Ekeler went undrafted in 2017 and the Los Angeles Chargers picked him up him shortly afterwards. Since then, he has been associated with them. He started in eight of the 16 games in the 2019 campaign. In that season, he recorded 1,550 yards from scrimmage with 92 receptions and 11 total touchdowns.
He became quite popular among fantasy football players because of his success. In 2020, Ekeler played in only ten games as he suffered hamstring and knee injuries. The 2021 season was his best so far, he gained 1,558 yards from scrimmage, with 70 receptions and a total of 20 touchdowns.
Before the 2022 season began, Austin Ekeler was ranked third in the fantasy football rankings. He was behind behind Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey and Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts. There are high hopes from Ekeler this season, and he might be the one to earn you a few extra fantasy points this season.
