Austin Ekeler is a Dynasty Bargain
It’s been a fantastic start to the 2020 off-season for fans of Austin Ekeler.
After a career year in 2019, Ekeler was rewarded by the Chargers with a four-year contract extension, getting offered a team-friendly $25 million deal, including $15 million in guaranteed money. In a league where backs have more value in the air than on the ground, that’s a bargain for the Chargers, and is especially significant since that all but means the team is letting Melvin Gordon walk in free agency after five seasons.
Gordon is not particularly known for his receiving abilities, but on the other hand, it’s been well established that Ekeler is one of the best receiving backs in the league (in 2019 he was seven yards away from reaching 1,000 on the year). Overall, Ekeler had 1,550 yards from scrimmage (557 on the ground, 993 in the air) and 11 total touchdowns (three on the ground, eight in the air).
With that in consideration, it’s no wonder why the Chargers are comfortable with letting Gordon walk and find another team.
Once again let’s check FantasyData to observe how Ekeler’s game translates into the fantasy realm. Sure enough, he finished with exactly 217 points, good enough for 31st among every player in 2019. He was also seventh among all running backs, only trailing Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry, Aaron Jones, Ezekiel Elliot, Dalvin Cook, and Nick Chubb.
In an era where many argue it’s better to let running backs walk in free agency and find younger options cheap, it’s refreshing that it seems like everyone agrees on how well constructed Ekeler’s contract extension was. The undrafted free agent turned star has transformed into a household name in fantasy leagues, and his 92 receptions in 2019 make him a dream target in PPR leagues.
Based on how the Chargers use him they also share that labor of love, so let’s observe why Ekeler can make your dynasty team even better.
Ekeler’s skill set allows him to be used all over the field, and as such he’s constantly lined up out wide. On this play fake specifically, he’s motioned by Philip Rivers and is used as a receiver in the flat. Because of his speed, quickness, and the play design, the Chargers offense can create openings when targeting Ekeler.
Ekeler is no stranger to vertical routes either. Once again he’s lined up as a wideout, and this time he stays there. With a nifty shake n bake route, he’s able to wiggle his way past the defense. Rivers is able to see this opening and hits Ekeler in stride for the touchdown.
This play design is unique because Ekeler is motioned as an H-back, normally reserved for tight ends. The Chargers execute a play fake under center, and Keenan Allen (WR, left) is used to draw the coverage away from the left side of the field. With the corner and safety baited and Ekeler undetected by the linebackers, he’s completely uncovered, giving Rivers another nice, easy throw for a big gain.
But beyond how he’s used, Ekeler also stands out athletically. While his undrafted status may lead you to believe he only recently unlocked his potential, in his case Ekeler was born slippy.
Though the Bears and Broncos defenses both posed threats in 2019, Ekeler was able to get some impressive plays out of those meetings. In the first gif (at Denver), he comes straight out of the backfield, using great footwork on a pivot route to give himself some separation and move for the first-down yardage.
In the second gif, at Chicago, Ekeler again runs out of the backfield, ducking his head against linebacker Danny Trevathan, which helps him to run at a low pad level. Slipping through Trevathan’s tackle, Ekeler is able to make his way into the end zone on what ends up being the game-winning touchdown for Los Angeles.
As he has been used far less in the department, Ekeler does not have quite the resume as a runner as he does as a receiver, which is why the Chargers are expected to either draft a running back or go out and get a cheap alternative in free agency. Still, whenever he’s been used, Ekeler has been no slouch as a running back.
Both of these plays are quite impressive on Ekeler’s part. The first play doesn’t look like much else besides an open run to the casual eye, but watch the back’s movement closely just after getting the ball. You may notice that he slightly hesitates in order to find a gap to run up, and after finding one outside he’s able to cut and accelerate through the hole. This allows him to outrun a couple of tacklers before eventually being pinned to the ground, but not before picking up another first down.
In the second play, Ekeler runs inside zone, finding a huge hole in the interior and cutting through there. In the open field, he’s able to straight-up murder the ankles of fellow undrafted free agent Andrew Wingard with a nasty cut inside (and a subtle but effective stiff arm to boot). This game against the Jaguars was also notorious in that Ekeler put up the fourth 100-yard rushing, 100-yard receiving performance from a player in the 2010s, with 101 yards on the ground and 112 in the air.
Philip Rivers is all but gone at this point as he looks to find a new team to play for, and most expect the Chargers to draft a quarterback in late April. Having said that, the new signal-caller has a high-quality safety net in Austin Ekeler to look forward to. He may not command the large dynasty attention that players like Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry have, but Ekeler is a wise early mid-round pick to invest in.
In conclusion, if you’re the kind of dynasty owner who looks to pass over the top-tier backs in favor of searching for cheaper alternatives, then Ekeler’s favorable skill set and versatile usage are just what you’re looking for.
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