No. 2 Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
As a rookie, Austin Ekeler contributed five touchdowns to the Los Angeles Chargers cause. He was worked in as both a runner and pass catcher. This preseason he appears to have taken the next step in his development.
Ekeler has looked fantastic this offseason and has established himself as Melvin Gordon’s primary backup.
Gordon is the Chargers top back and will get a majority of the work. However, Ekeler will see time on third downs and get rotated in to give Gordon some rest. It’ll be hard for Ekeler to be fantasy relevant with Gordon in the mix.
However, he is another one of those players you need to monitor. If Gordon should suffer an injury or get banged up it would be time to put a waiver claim in on Ekeler.
He may not have the same type of talent as Gordon, but Ekeler could be very productive as a full time starter. This is someone who could ascend to running back one territory if given enough touches.
The Chargers have a solid offensive attack that features some big-time pass catchers. However, they like to get the running back involved in the entire game plan which means the starter at that position is a prime fantasy target.