Who Should I Start? James Conner or Austin Ekeler

Saturday, September 14, 2:55 AM

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner put up 83 yards from scrimmage and found the end zone in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills. He will look to do more of the same on Sunday in the Cardinals' home opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Fears that he might lose work to rookie Trey Benson were assuaged last week as Conner handled 16 of Arizona's 20 handoffs and was on the field for 67% of offensive snaps compared to Benson's 13% share. The Rams had one of the toughest run defenses in the league in 2023 but no longer have Aaron Donald anchoring their line. In Week 1, they gave up 131 yards and two touchdowns on the ground to the Lions. Conner should be locked into fantasy lineups this week and can be expected to put up another RB1 performance.

Friday, September 13, 8:15 AM

Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler led the team in receiving yards (52) in the season opener but had a limited role in the offense. In his Washington debut, Ekeler was exclusively deployed as a pass-catching running back as he saw just two rushing attempts, compared to Brian Robinson Jr.'s 12 attempts. However, through the air, Ekeler made the most of his limited touches as he caught all four of his targets. In addition, he ran 19 total routes and posted an average of 2.74 yards per route run, which was one of the best marks of the weekend. While the 29-year-old will typically serve as the No.2 option in a committee, his production on such limited touches is still worth noting as he still possesses some quality upside. For now, Ekeler remains a solid flex play in deeper PPR leagues but holds much less value in standard formats.