2022 Fantasy Upside
As 4for4's John Paulsen notes, Austin Ekeler finished as the RB2 last year with the third-highest per game average (half-PPR). For the record, last year was his first season of more than 200 carries (12.87 per game). He saw 50 percent of the Chargers' rushing attempts in 2021, a far smaller share than most starting backs. But it's the passing game where Ekeler excels. Last year he commanded a 16 percent target share in LA's offense. Despite missing one game in 2021, Ekeler posted over 1,500 combo yards, and scored a whopping 20 touchdowns. He also missed some time in 2020, but finished with the 13th-highest per game average.
2022 Fantasy Downside
Ekeler openly advocates for limiting his touches to remain healthy for the entire NFL season. Speaking early this offseason, Ekeler -- an avid fantasy football manager -- said, "You can even go ask my management, like, 'Hey, make sure you limit my touches, like you got to make sure I can get through the entire season.'" And the Chargers have said they want to reduce his workload even further in 2022. With Justin Jackson, Joshua Kelley and Larry Rountree III coming up short as complements to Ekeler, incoming rookie Isaiah Spiller could be capable of producing at a level that might limit Ekeler. Nonetheless, you're going to have to expend some high-end draft capital to secure his services.
2022 Bottom Line
Even with the questions about workload and touchdown regression (Ekeler's 12 rushing touchdowns last year were nine more than his previous career high of three), Paulsen points out the Chargers have a top-12 offensive line and Ekeler will continue to see a ton of work as a receiver. Expecting Ekeler to continue being a top producer at the position is a reasonable expectation.
