I don’t know that Austin Ekeler will ever run for 1,000 yards in an NFL season. He’s an awfully small guy. But his receiving production is certainly intriguing.
Ekeler caught 92 passes last year. Unlikely that he reaches those heights again, with the team’s offense being re-worked (including a new quarterback) but he’s definitely a good candidate for 70-plus catches, and those kind of players tend to score well in PPR formats.
And note that Ekeler not only catches lots of passes, he also does damage when the ball is in his hands. Three years in a row he’s averaged over 10 yards per catch.
In the last three years, only 13 other running backs have averaged 10 yards per reception while catching at least 25 passes. They’ve all done it once. Ekeler has done it three times.
No other running back has done this three seasons in a row since Marshall Faulk 20 years ago. Since the merger in 1970, only seven running backs have been able to pull this off four years in a row: Faulk (1997-00), Billy Sims (1980-83), Thurman Thomas (1989-92), Donny Anderson (1970-73), Floyd Little (1972-75), Sherman Smith (1976-79) and Steve Sewell (1988-91).
| RUNNING BACKS AVERAGING 10 YARDS PER CATCH (last 3 years) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2018 | Kareem Hunt, K.C. | 26 | 378 | 14.5 | 7 |
| 2017 | Chris Thompson, Was. | 39 | 510 | 13.1 | 4 |
| 2017 | Todd Gurley, LAR | 64 | 788 | 12.3 | 6 |
| 2017 | Tevin Coleman, Atl. | 27 | 299 | 11.1 | 3 |
| 2018 | Kyle Juszczyk, S.F. | 30 | 324 | 10.8 | 1 |
| 2019 | Austin Ekeler, LAC | 92 | 993 | 10.8 | 8 |
| 2017 | Jamaal Williams, G.B. | 25 | 262 | 10.5 | 2 |
| 2018 | Austin Ekeler, LAC | 39 | 404 | 10.4 | 3 |
| 2017 | Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 26 | 269 | 10.4 | 2 |
| 2017 | Austin Ekeler, LAC | 27 | 279 | 10.3 | 3 |
| 2019 | Rex Burkhead, N.E. | 27 | 279 | 10.3 | 0 |
| 2019 | David Johnson, Ariz. | 36 | 370 | 10.3 | 4 |
| 2018 | Tarik Cohen, Chi. | 71 | 725 | 10.2 | 5 |
| 2017 | Alvin Kamara, N.O. | 81 | 826 | 10.2 | 5 |
| 2019 | Miles Sanders, Phil. | 50 | 509 | 10.2 | 3 |
| 2019 | Ronald Jones, T.B. | 31 | 309 | 10.0 | 0 |
—Ian Allan