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Austin Ekeler Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Shark Bites are the latest fantasy football news & NFL updates. Draft Sharks has been in business since 1999. And when we started, redraft was the dominant form of fantasy football. Check out what we've learned about this most basic form of fantasy football along the way.

Commanders RB Brian Robinson (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Ravens. He didn’t practice all week – after not playing at all in the second half of last week’s game – but will be a game-time decision, according to HC Dan Quinn. We’ll get Washington’s inactives around 11:30 am ET on Sunday, but Robinson owners should start lining up an alternative. He’ll be a shaky fantasy starter even if he ends up playing. If not, we’ll likely see RBs Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols share early-down work, with Ekeler handling passing situations. In the second half of Week 5, McNichols out-carried Ekeler six to four and Ekeler out-targeted McNichols one to 0. That game wasn’t competitive, though, so we’d project a bit more work for Ekeler if Robinson ends up sitting.

Commanders RB Brian Robinson rushed only 7 times for 18 yards in Sunday's win over Cleveland. He scored a pair of goal line TDs to save his fantasy day.

Commanders RB Brian Robinson (knee) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Browns. He only got in a limited practice on Friday. “He’s trending in the right way, and we’ll take it all the way to game day,” HC Dan Quinn said Friday. “But he’s doing great.” We’re tentatively expecting Robinson to play but will get Washington’s inactives around 11:30 am ET on Sunday. RB Austin Ekeler (concussion) practiced all week and is not listed on the final injury report.

Commanders RB Brian Robinson (knee) missed his second straight practice on Thursday. His availability for this weekend's game vs. the Browns is now in real question. We'll update Robinson's status again tomorrow. RB Austin Ekeler (concussion) upgraded to full participation on Thursday and is on track to play against Cleveland.

Commanders RB Brian Robinson (knee) did not practice on Wednesday. He seemed to come out of the Week 4 win over the Cardinals ok, so this could just be some early-week rest after handling 24 touches in that one. RB Austin Ekeler (concussion) was limited on Wednesday. He still has work to do to clear protocol but is likely to make it back for Sunday's game vs. the Browns. We'll keep you updated on Washington's backfield over the next few days. Deep-leaguers could stash RB Jeremy McNichols in case Robinson or Ekeler miss this weekend's game.

Commanders RB Austin Ekeler (concussion) is out for this weekend's game vs. the Cardinals, HC Dan Quinn said Wednesday. It's concerning that Ekeler was ruled out so early in the week. We'll see if he can clear concussion protocol in time for Week 5's game against the Browns.

Commanders RB Austin Ekeler sustained a concussion in Monday night's win over the Bengals. It's his third documented concussion. Ekeler now only has six days to get cleared before Week 4's meeting with the Cardinals. Consider him unlikely to play in that one. Ekeler's absence would likely mean an expanded role, particularly in the passing game, for RB Brian Robinson.

Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury says RB Austin Ekeler looks as good as ever. "I watch [Ekeler] and I'm like, 'This guy is tremendous.' So, I'm not sure what it was last year, but he hasn't lost a step." Washington, of course, signed Ekeler in free agency to join RB Brian Robinson Jr. -- while also letting RB Antonio Gibson leave for New England.

New Commanders RB Austin Ekeler endured a forgettable 2023 season. It started with a Week 1 high-ankle sprain, one that lingered upon returning in Week 6. The now 29-year-old set career lows in yards per carry (3.5), yards after contact per attempt (2.64) and Pro Football Focus Elusive Rating (49.4). With better health, can Ekeler rebound in Washington?

The Commanders are signing RB Austin Ekeler to a two-year deal, according to multiple reports. NFL Networks' Tom Pelissero reports it's worth "up to $11.43 million." The exact terms aren't yet clear, but it looks like he'll get a larger annual average than the three-year deal Antonio Gibson agreed to with the Patriots. The new Washington staff likely views Ekeler as at least an upgrade over Gibson. And Commanders run-game coordinator Anthony Lynn is plenty familiar with the veteran RB, having served as Chargers HC through the first four years of Ekeler's career. Ekeler figures to share touches with Brian Robinson Jr., operating as the lead receiving back. We'll watch for more signals on Ekeler's expected role. For now, both Washington RBs make sense in RB3 range of best ball drafts. Check our best ball rankings to see exactly where they land.

Chargers WRs Keenan Allen (heel) and Josh Palmer (concussion) are out for Sunday’s game vs. the Broncos. That leaves Los Angeles with WRs Quentin Johnston, Jalen Guyton, Alex Erickson, and Derius Davis. None is a recommended Week 17 fantasy starter. RB Austin Ekeler and TE Gerald Everett could see more targets with Allen and Palmer out.

On Friday, multiple reports indicated that the Chargers have parted ways with HC Brandon Staley and GM Tom Telesco. This news doesn't come as much of a surprise following the team's 63-21 collapse vs. the Raiders on Thursday night. Across nearly three full seasons on the job, Staley finished with a 24-24 record and appeared in just one playoff game. Who will take over as the interim coach is not known as of the time of this writing. Stay tuned for further updates.

Update: The Chargers have named Giff Smith interim HC and JoJo Wooden as interim GM, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Smith has been the team's outside LBs coach the past two years and was an NFL defensive line coach for 11 seasons before that. It looks like OC Kellen Moore will remain with the Chargers at least for the rest of this season.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert will miss the rest of the season after fracturing the index finger in his right (throwing) hand, according to multiple reports. That leaves fifth-year QB Easton Stick to pilot the offense over the final four games. Stick has been with the Chargers since they drafted him in Round 5 back in 2019, but he had attempted just one regular season pass before Sunday. Stick went a forgettable 13 of 24 passing for 179 yards after taking over against the Broncos, throwing no TDs or INTs but fumbling twice (losing one). His 2023 preseason also proved unimpressive, including a 60.3% completion rate, 5.2 yards per pass attempt, 1 TD, 2 INTs, and a 9.0% sack rate. The QB situation obviously downgrades everyone on the Chargers' offense. WR Keenan Allen should remain usable. Stick targeted Allen on 37.5% of his attempts against Denver. He threw another 20.8% toward RB Austin Ekeler, the only other Chargers offensive piece you should still consider using. WRs Quentin Johnston and Joshua Palmer and TE Gerald Everett look droppable for other options. Herbert should have plenty of time to recover ahead of the 2024 season.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler rebounded in Week 14 with 100 total yards, 5 catches, and 1 TD. Ekeler’s 3-yard score marked his first end zone trip since Week 10. He lost carries to Isaiah Spiller (6) and Josh Kelley (3), but as expected, the veteran remained heavily involved in the passing game (33 routes). Per PFF, Ekeler also handled all 18 fourth-quarter snaps while the Chargers played from behind. So he's certainly trending in the right direction following the positive showing (and plus matchup). The Raiders turn up a favorable opponent for Week 15, but note that Ekeler will likely play without Justin Herbert.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert fractured his right index finger in Sunday's loss to the Broncos, HC Brandon Staley said afterward. "Given where we are in the season, a fracture could mean his season is over," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted. We should get more details on Herbert's status on Monday, but the 5-8 Chargers have no reason to rush Herbert back. QB Easton Stick will take over for however long Herbert is out. The 2019 fifth-round pick had one regular-season pass attempt before going 13-of-24 for 179 yards in relief of Herbert today. Stick is obviously a significant downgrade for this Chargers offense.

Chargers RBs Austin Ekeler, Joshua Kelley, and Isiah Spiller will all "split carries" against the Broncos today, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Exactly how those carries are split will be a "hot hand" situation, Rapoport adds. We're still betting on Ekeler leading the Chargers in carries today, as well as handling the majority of the passing-down work. But consider him more of a RB2. Kelley and Spiller should not be in fantasy lineups.

Chargers HC Brandon Staley hinted that RB Austin Ekeler might start losing carries. "Competition for carries is going to be something that you can see happening," Staley said Wednesday. "We're going to keep exploring, making adjustments, so that we can find that rhythm that I've been talking about. That's certainly one way to do it." Ekeler has been consistently inefficient since returning from his high-ankle sprain, topping 3.5 yards per carry in just one of eight games. He's averaged 3.0 yards per carry across those outings. RB Joshua Kelley has averaged 4.6 yards per carry over that same span. We could see Kelley stealing a handful of carries from Ekeler in Sunday's game vs. the Broncos -- although Ekeler should continue to dominate passing-down work.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler gained only 18 yards on 14 attempts in Sunday's win over New England. Ekeler added 2 catches (3 targets) for 9 yards, with the only misconnection coming on a drop. Ekeler’s 4.7 PPR points marked his third game with fewer than ten. Ekeler will look to rebound next week vs. Denver, but playing at less than 100% (ankle), he’ll do so with an uncomfortably low floor.

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