Who Should I Start? Austin Ekeler or Zamir White

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.

Monday, July 8, 2:19 PM

Las Vegas Raiders running back Zamir White stepped up last season and is in great shape heading into the 2024 season, but he will have to prove it to the coaching staff again this year and to new general manager Tom Telesco. The Raiders lost Josh Jacobs in free agency but brought in Alexander Mattison because of his fit to the new offense. The Athletic's Vic Tafur also writes that the Raiders could add another running back if either White or Mattison get off to a slow start in training camp this summer. The 24-year-old White is expected to open the season as Vegas' lead back, with Mattison filling a complementary role ahead of RB3 Ameer Abdullah. As long as he doesn't fall flat in training camp and the preseason, fantasy managers should view White as a low-end RB2/high-end RB3 as he takes on an expanded role with Jacobs out of the picture.