3. Austin Ekeler is benefitting from two different parts of the LA Chargers roster
There are two distinct things about the LA Chargers roster, particularly the offensive side of the ball, that benefit Ekeler when it comes to his fantasy football production in 2021. The first is the improved offensive line.
The Chargers went from having the worst offensive line in the league last season to having one that should at least be around league average. The ceiling of this offensive line, if Rashawn Slater is as good as he has been in camp and Bryan Bulaga stays healthy, is that of a top-12 or so offensive line.
Unlike previous years, unless the injury bug just wipes the room clean (knocks on wood), the floor of this offensive line is still at least a serviceable one. Ekeler has run behind some terrible offensive lines thus far in his career and this is by far the best offensive line that he has gotten the pleasure of working with.
The other aspect of the roster that helps Ekeler's fantasy football case is the rest of the running backs. While there is potential there, there are also some serious question marks in the running back room.
Even if the worst-case scenario does not happen with the running back room, the Chargers do not have the 1B running back to play with Ekeler. This is not going to be a situation where he is splitting a lot of the workload like he was with Gordon. He is undoubtedly the RB1 of this team and it is not close.
Not having to share much production with a better offensive line and an offensive coordinator that is going to utilize him in the passing game is going to create a massive fantasy football season for Austin Ekeler.