Who Should I Start? Austin Ekeler or Chase Brown

Monday, March 11, 7:05 PM

Veteran free-agent running back Austin Ekeler is signing with the Washington Commanders on Monday on a two-year deal worth up to $11.43 million, according to sources. Ekeler is headed to the East coast after seven seasons and 69 total touchdowns with the Los Angeles Chargers. The 28-year-old was extremely productive in his time with the Bolts, but he's coming off one of his worst statistical seasons in 2023 and is now heading to a Commanders backfield where he'll be expected to split the workload with Brian Robinson. On a side note, former Commanders RB Antonio Gibson agreed to join the New England Patriots. Gone are the days of Ekeler being a no-doubt RB1 for fantasy managers, although he still has the talent to be a highly productive RB3/flex option, especially in PPR leagues. In addition, the Commanders' signing of Ekeler is going to be bad news for B-Rob's fantasy ceiling.

Sunday, January 7, 9:26 PM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown had 43 yards off 11 carries in Sunday's win over the Browns. He added one catch for 10 yards. The Bengals were eliminated from playoff contention after the Week 17 loss to the Chiefs. However, Cincinnati wanted to end the year with a winning record. Brown's 11 attempts were the most of his career. Although he couldn't find the end zone for the second time this season, he still had a decent year as Joe Mixon's backup. At any rate, the 23-year-old should at least remain the No. 2 running back on the depth chart, so he'll draw interest from fantasy managers during drafts ahead of Week 1 for insurance purposes. Of course, the Bengals should strongly consider keeping Joe Mixon on the roster, even more so since he had 12 touchdowns this season. Yet, Brown's outlook could improve even more if he finds himself atop the depth chart heading into the 2024-25 campaign.