- Austin Ekeler was the top fantasy running back of 2022: Ekeler is one of the top few receiving running backs of the last decade and continues to have a high yards per route run.
- Concerns around his role: Ekeler was rarely a fantasy starter in 2024, and the Deebo Samuel addition could cut into some of Ekeler’s playing time and target share.
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Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
PFF’s Fantasy Football Player Profile series delivers the most in-depth fantasy football analysis available for the 2025 season.
Using PFF’s exclusive data, we evaluate player performance, competition for touches and how teammates and coaching staffs
Last updated: 7:15 a.m. Friday, June 13
Player performance
Austin Ekeler was an undrafted rookie in 2017. He graded well on a limited sample as a receiver in 2017, leading to an increased role in 2018, and even larger in 2019. His 93.6 receiving grade in 2019 was the best for a running back in a season in the last eight seasons. He gained 1,026 receiving yards, which was the second-most by a receiver in a season, for eight receiving touchdowns, which was also the second-most. That led to the most fantasy points from receiving, leaving him with a total of 309 PPR points that made him a top-six fantasy running back in points per game despite only gaining 557 rushing yards.
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