Who Should I Start? Austin Ekeler or Jaylen Warren

Sunday, January 26, 6:46 PM

Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler tallied just 32 all-purpose yards during their loss in the NFC Championship game to the Philadelphia Eagles. Ekeler also lost a fumble. The Commanders were playing from behind throughout most of the contest, putting their rushing attack out of the game plan. However, even when Ekeler was given the ball through the air, he could not perform. He caught five of his seven targets but tallied just 17 yards. His seven targets tied him the second-most on the team, only behind tight end Zach Ertz. Throughout the season, the 29-year-old operated primarily as a change-of-pace option in the Washington backfield. Entering Sunday, Ekeler posted a strong 10.3 yards per catch and a 4.8 yards per carry. Ekeler will likely remain in this role next season as he enters the final year of his contract.

Monday, March 10, 12:06 PM

The Pittsburgh Steelers placed the second-round restricted tender on restricted free-agent running back Jaylen Warren on Monday, according to his agents. The tender is worth $5.346 million. Although technically not official yet, placing the second-round tender pretty much guarantees that the 26-year-old will be back in Pittsburgh in 2025. Fellow backfield mate Najee Harris is an unrestricted free agent this week and has a good chance of not returning, which would make Warren much more attractive in fantasy next season, depending on what other moves the Steelers make at the position in free agency or the draft. Any team that wants to sign Warren now would have to offer up second-round draft compensation. Although Harris had another 1,000-yard season in 2024, Warren has looked better than him at times the last two years and has averaged a healthy 4.8 yards per carry in his three NFL seasons.