Austin Ekeler Fantasy News and Statistics

A 5-foot-10 running back for the Los Angeles Chargers, Austin Ekeler was not the most prized recruit coming out of a small high school in Colorado. Because he was very lightly regarded as a major college prospect, he ended up playing his football at Western State Colorado University, a Division II school. He shined, though, when presented with the opportunity.

Western State immediately injected Ekeler into its starting lineup. He was the team’s main running back as a true freshman and ran for 1,034 yards in nine games for the Mountaineers. He was named the RMAC Offensive Freshman of the Year as he averaged 134.3 all-purpose yards per game.

Ekeler only got better as time went on. He was an absolute workhorse for Western State as evidenced when he had 44 carries against Adams State during his sophomore year. He finished the season with 1,676 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on 298 carries. He received numerous awards for his effort as he had the third-most yards for a running back in all of Division II.

Once again, Ekeler was his team’s most valuable player in 2015. His best game came against Western New Mexico when he had 344 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground. It was a performance that gave him national attention in a season in which he was a Don Hansen NCAA Division II All-America Second Team selection. He once again surpassed 1,600 rushing yards and averaged 203.9 all-purpose yards per game. This level of domination set him up well as a pro prospect.

As a senior, Ekeler finished his college career the same way he started it—by dominating. He racked up 1,495 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on 232 carries (6.4 yards per rush). He also had 18 catches for 236 yards and three scores as a pass catcher, indicating that he could be a valuable target at the next level.

A smaller player coming out of a small Division II school, Ekeler was not selected in the 2017 NFL Draft. However, the Los Angeles Chargers signed him as an undrafted free agent. The franchise would not regret the move.

From the start, it appeared as though Ekeler had a shot at cracking the Los Angeles 53-man roster just because the team was light on running back depth. He secured his spot on its active roster in the final preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers when he had eight carries for 50 yards and three catches for 58 yards.

Melvin Gordon was the team’s starting running back during the 2017 season, just like he was the two years prior. However, Ekeler was able to earn a role as his backup and showed flashes of his potential. His first career regular season carry was a 35-yard touchdown run against the Philadelphia Eagles. Later in the season, he had five catches for 77 yards and a pair of scores against the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the flashes that he showed in his rookie year, he could be an intriguing sleeper option in 2018.