Austin Ekeler Week 1 Outlook - Eagles at Commanders

By Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros), Fri, Sep 11th 2020, 1:15pm EDT

The preseason was supposed to help us figure out which of Jackson/Kelley were going to be the No. 2 to Ekeler. Jackson is dealing with some sort of foot issue, so it could be Kelley. Whatever the case, Ekeler is going to be the guy. With Tyrod Taylor under center, this team won't be throwing the ball close to 600 times like they did last year. That hurts someone like Ekeler who got 73.5 percent of his production through the air last year. No other top-20 running back eclipsed 48.5 percent. The injury to Mike Williams helps his potential target share, as the Chargers are lacking pass-catching options behind Keenan Allen and Hunter Henry. The Bengals are a team that were demolished by running backs last year, allowing a massive 4.58 yards per carry and even more importantly, 7.40 yards per target. The acquisition of D.J. Reader in the middle of the defense will surely help, but they do have two new starting linebackers as well, so this unit is far from familiar with one another. Running backs averaged 29.1 touches per game against the Bengals last year, which leaves plenty of room for Ekeler to get 16-plus touches even if Kelley/Jackson are involved. Start him as a low-end RB1/high-end RB2 who should come with a high floor.