Fantasy Football: Austin Ekeler is must-start with Melvin Gordon out
Running back Melvin Gordon will miss time with an MCL injury and his backup, Austin Ekeler, is must-add and start in Fantasy Football.
The majority of the talk regarding the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 12 was the dominance of Philip Rivers over the Arizona Cardinals. En route to a 45-10 victory, the veteran quarterback tied the NFL record for consecutive completions to start a game. However, the more important news coming out of the win was the injury to Melvin Gordon. Cue fantasy football owners groaning.
Gordon, who ranks sixth among running backs in ESPN standard scoring this season, left Sunday’s win over the Redbirds with a knee injury. After the fact, it was reported that he sustained an MCL injury. What’s more, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that the Chargers running back will be out for the “next few weeks”.
LA’s decision to take their time with Gordon’s recovery would be a smart one. Given the fact that the Chargers appear in the cat-bird seat for a Wild Card spot at this point, there’s no need to rush their feature back and an integral piece of their offense back onto the field and risk further injury or less effectiveness.
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Fantasy football owners, however, don’t have the same luxury. With the fantasy playoffs set to begin in most leagues, they’re now left without an RB1 to start the fantasy postseason. However, if he’s available or already on your roster as a handcuff to Gordon (or otherwise), Gordon’s replacement in LA in Austin Ekeler is a must-start player.
After Gordon left the Week 12 matchup early in the third quarter, Ekeler came in and performed with aplomb. He only notched five carries on the day, but finished still with 35 yards and a touchdown. More importantly, the Chargers backup finished with 10 receptions for 68 yards.
Particularly in PPR leagues, Ekeler has already been a viable FLEX play in the 2018 fantasy football season. With the injury to Gordon, however, he could potentially perform like an RB1. Whenever he gets touches, he’s productive. And with his versatility as a runner and pass-catcher, his touches are going to increase dramatically in the coming weeks.
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Owned in only 54.6 percent of ESPN leagues as of Monday in Week 12, Ekeler could well be available in your league. Whether you lost Gordon or just need a little juice for the playoffs, the Chargers backup is must-add, must-start and a potential late-season gem for fantasy owners to jump on with Gordon out injured.