Ekeler carried the ball 19 times for 84 yards in Sunday's 16-13 win over the Bengals. He caught his lone target for three yards.
On the one hand, it was excellent to see Ekeler command nearly 20 carries in a contest that was close throughout. The 25-year-old's longest carry was only 13 yards, yet he was still able to consistently churn out yardage to the tune of 4.4 yards per carry. Still, it has to be a little troubling for fantasy managers considering Ekeler's lack of influence in the passing game, particularly after a 2019 season in which he piled up 92 receptions and almost 1,000 receiving yards. To make matters worse, the Chargers held true to their promise of splitting the load, giving rookie Joshua Kelley 12 carries, including a number of pivotal goal-line touches down the stretch. While Ekeler might be on the larger side of a running back committee, it's clear that Kelley will be a prominent factor in the offense in some capacity, so if Ekeler doesn't see the usual influx of pass-catching opportunities, it might be hard for him to return value on his first-round fantasy value.