Who Should I Start? Austin Ekeler or J.K. Dobbins

Thursday, June 27, 4:25 PM

Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler was an elite fantasy football producer for a few of his seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, but last year was disappointing for the veteran and fantasy managers. Ekeler posted 179 attempts for 628 yards and five touchdowns and caught 51 passes for 436 yards and one touchdown en route to an RB26 finish in PPR leagues. He was selected as a top-three running back in PPR formats, so it was far from ideal. However, the former undrafted free agent is confident he will bounce back in 2024. "You're going to get the best version of myself always, no matter what," Ekeler told NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero. "There's been this controversy out there, like, 'Oh Austin said he doesn't want 300 carries, 'cause that's what the Chargers said.' I've never had that many carries ever. So, I don't know why everybody's in an uproar. It's not that I don't want to touch the ball. It's the way that I've had the most production is when I'm able to split between catching and running the ball. If I'm healthy, I'm going to be on the field and I'm going to be producing." The 29-year-old is slated to share the backfield with Brian Robinson this season, but as long as he maintains the clear pass-catching role out of the backfield, he should be a weekly flex option in PPR and half-PPR setups. He is usually available after the top 25 running backs are selected.

Thursday, July 25, 9:20 PM

Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins (Achilles) told reporters Thursday that he is one of the league's best running backs when healthy. "Ya'll know how much yards I averaged per carry," said Dobbins. The former Baltimore Raven has averaged 5.8 yards per carry since entering the league in 2020 -- the highest of any running back in that time. However, performance hasn't been the issue for the former Ohio State Buckeye; his availability has. He's appeared in just 24 of a potential 73 career games after falling victim to tears in his ACL and Achilles over the last few seasons. Despite this, Dobbins still views himself as a top talent in the league. "I feel like I'm in college out there right now," Dobbins said. "And I do think that the storm is over... You guys will see -- it'll be special." Dobbins has been a full go through two days of training camp, while Gus Edwards has yet to participate in team drills after an unspecified offseason surgery. Interestingly enough, Dobbins is currently being selected as the RB49 (ADP 150) -- 30 picks after Gus Edwards (RB40). It's possible he can provide some value this year with the caveat that he remains healthy.