RB Austin Ekeler - Los Angeles Chargers
| 5-10, 200 | Born: 5-17-1995 | College: Western State (CO) | Drafted: --- |
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Week 7: vs Tennessee Titans
FBG says: matchup.
Recent Stats and Projections
| WEEK | OPP | oSNAP | RSH | YD | TD | TARG | REC | YD | TD | FumL | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | at LAR | 18 | 4 | 47 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 6.1 | |
| 4 | vs SF | 23 | 8 | 25 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 11.6 | |
| 5 | vs OAK | 23 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 44 | 1 | 0 | 11.9 | |
| 6 | at CLE | 21 | 7 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| 7 | vs TEN | PROJ-Dodds | * | 7 | * | * | 2 | * | * | * | * | |
| 7 | vs TEN | PROJ-Tremblay | * | 7 | * | * | 2 | * | * | * | * |
Weekly Performance vs RB 1, RB 12, RB 24, RB 36
Percentile ranks
Austin Ekeler's percentile rank in each category, among RB with more than 50 fantasy points.
Recent Game Summaries
2018 Week 6 vs CLE (7 / 60 / 0 rush, 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 rec)
Ekeler didn't enter the game until early in the second quarter, and immediately needed to save the day. On an ill-advised flea-flicker throwback from Keenan Allen to Philip Rivers, the bad throw ended up on the ground with Cleveland defenders all around it. Ekeler smartly pounced on the football, at least saving possession for the Chargers. Ekeler didn't see an offensive touch until just over ten minutes remained in the third quarter. But he sort of made up for lost time with seven handoffs in the second half, breaking loose for long gains of 16 and 20 and generally picking up where Gordon left off. He once again did an incredible job of fighting off tacklers. On one carry, he was seemingly wrapped up until his excellent balance kept his feet moving into the open field. The duo is benefitting from some excellent blocking up front, but also showing tremendous individual efforts on a weekly basis.
2018 Week 5 vs OAK (6 / 15 / 0 rush, 3 / 1 / 44 / 1 rec)
After getting a late start in last week's game, Ekeler came on early in this one. Melvin Gordon had a long run early on, and Ekeler immediately entered. But he didn't really make his presence felt until later in the half. Rivers hit him with a short screen and he was met in the flat by two defenders. One lightning-fast cut to the inside later, and both defenders were on the ground as Ekeler was taking off for the end zone. He shot up the left sideline following one block, and he was gone for the 44-yard touchdown scamper. Late in the game with the Chargers trying to run out the clock, it was Ekeler and not Gordon who got the call to grind out the tough yardage. Ekeler nearly broke into the end zone for his second touchdown, but was just barely tripped up as he got inside the 5-yard line.
2018 Week 4 vs SF (8 / 25 / 0 rush, 3 / 2 / 31 / 1 rec)
Ekeler didn't even register his first touch until just over three minutes remained in the first half, but it was a nice upfield cut for a 7-yard gain. He made up for lost time in a hurry, however, by hauling in a 22-yard touchdown late in the first half. He was lined up wide as a receiver, and simply outran his man off the line. Rivers found him perfectly in stride with a bullet pass in the end zone. The defender was sort of holding EKeler's arm as he caught it (not illegally), but he still managed to hang on. He was involved as usual in the second half, and he ended up with 10 total touches from scrimmage despite the limited early work.
2018 Week 3 vs LAR (4 / 47 / 0 rush, 3 / 3 / 24 / 0 rec)
As quiet as Ekeler was in the first half, he did some damage after halftime. He picked up 32 of his 47 rushing yards on one run, slithering his way in and out of would-be tacklers up the middle. He found a small hole, then bounced across the grain after a broken tackle before covering up the ball at the end of the run en route to a career-long rush. He added a nice reception that also doubled as a way to bail out Philip Rivers, who was under pressure from the defense. Ekeler was leaking out behind Rivers and into the flat, so Rivers dumped it off to him. Ekeler's defender thought he had him squared up, but again his surprising speed got him the edge where he then tip-toed the sideline for a 15-yard pickup. Unfortunately, Ekeler's day didn't end as well as it began. He was targeted on a fourth down pass attempt with the game on the line, but Rivers threw it short of the marker. So Ekeler had to make an effort to extend the ball past the line to convert. But he was met by multiple defenders, and the ball was punched out where it was recovered by the Rams for a turnover. Mike Williams came very close to recovering the ball on the ground (and it might have been a first down if he had), but the Rams defender barely beat him to it.
2018 Week 2 vs BUF (11 / 77 / 0 rush, 3 / 3 / 21 / 0 rec)
For the second straight week, Ekeler very much had a role in the offense apart from just being Melvin Gordon's backup or change of pace. He took a swing pass for a first down, and soon added a jet sweep up the right side for a 15-yard gain (Gordon was on the field at the same time for the handoff). Ekeler was just so slippery, moving his way in and out of the way of defenders almost at will. But he wasn't all speed and shake, since he leveled more than a handful of defenders at the end of his runs to constantly fall forward and pick up extra yardage. Late in the first half, Gordon left the game with a knee issue and Ekeler was given a larger workload. Gordon again left the game in the second half, this time presumably with a neck injury, and again Ekeler was leaned on. Gordon did come back in for one play before leaving for good (suggesting it wasn't a serious injury), but Ekeler was pretty much the go-to guy from that point on. Late in the game, he was given a goal line attempt but was unable to push the pile for the score. Shortly thereafter, a low snap to Philip Rivers nearly resulted in a turnover, but Ekeler was there to pounce on he loose ball and save possession for the Chargers.
2018 Week 1 vs KC (5 / 39 / 0 rush, 5 / 5 / 87 / 1 rec)
Ekeler teamed with Melvin Gordon to form a strong 1-2 punch in this game, which looks like it may be a preview of their usage patterns throughout the season. After a training camp featuring a lot of speculation of Ekeler having a regular role (rather than just a true backup role), Ekeler found himself very involved in the game plan as a complementary piece in the running game. He showed extremely tough running on the inside, almost never going down on first contact and dragging defenders for yards at a time. And despite Gordon leading all players in receptions, Ekeler found himself as a key piece in the passing game as well. He demonstrated excellent concentration and acrobatics on a deep ball down the left sideline that may have been intended for Keenan Allen. Allen deflected it with one hand and Ekeler managed to reach up and hang on with one hand of his own despite being blanketed by a defender. He then absorbed a huge hit from a defender, which added even more yardage on the penalty. Late in the first half, Rivers hoisted a floater up to him in the end zone in single coverage. Again he absorbed a big hit just as the ball got there, but he managed to hang on for the score. Just as importantly as his apparently regular usage pattern, is the fact that he appears in line for a regular featured role to himself if anything were to happen to Gordon.
Latest News
Chargers | Austin Ekeler has solid outing (Sun Oct 14, 04:32 PM) - Los Angeles Chargers RB Austin Ekeler rushed for 60 yards on seven carries against the Cleveland Browns in Week 6. link to storyLos Angeles Chargers Team Links
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Schedule
| 7 | vs Tennessee Titans |
| 8 | --- BYE WEEK --- |
| 9 | @ Seattle Seahawks |
| 10 | @ Oakland Raiders |
| 11 | vs Denver Broncos |
| 12 | vs Arizona Cardinals |
| 13 | @ Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 14 | vs Cincinnati Bengals |
| 15 | @ Kansas City Chiefs |
| 16 | vs Baltimore Ravens |
| 17 | @ Denver Broncos |
