The Los Angeles Chargers are seemingly ready to cut back on the workload of struggling running back Austin Ekeler, which is bad news for fantasy football owners.
Per Daniel Popper of The Athletic, Chargers head coach Brandon Staley hinted at a bigger workload for RB2 Joshua Kelley, stating that competition “is going to be something that you can see happening.”
Ekeler missed three games for the Chargers earlier this season with an ankle injury. But even when healthy, the 28-year-old simply hasn’t produced up to his usual standards.
He surpassed 900 yards rushing in both 2021 and 2022, leading the league in total touchdowns both years with 20 and 18, respectively. In nine games, however, Ekeler has just five total touchdowns.
Ekeler is averaging a career-low 3.5 yards per carry, one yard short of his career average (4.5). After averaging over 40 receiving yards per game in each of the previous four seasons (including 61.2 per game in 2019), Ekeler has averaged a mere 32.8 receiving yards per contest in 2023.
Kelley, on the other hand, is averaging 4.0 yards per carry and has 402 yards of offense in a limited role. With the Bolts’ offense struggling as of late, it’s clear that something has to change.
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Will that mean less carries for Ekeler and a greater workload for Kelley? Staley won’t outright admit it, but it feels like a sure bet with only five games remaining in this lost season for the Bolts.
