Ekeler is the Discount McCaffrey, But Who Is the Discount Ekeler? Try These 3 Exciting Options
Image Credit: Tom Walko/Icon Sportswire. Pictured: Austin Ekeler.

Austin Ekeler may be my favorite player in the NFL, or at least he might be my second favorite after his higher priced and higher scoring doppelganger. In 2020, Ekeler and Christian McCaffrey generated win rates of 21% and 31% respectively. They did so with the type of freakish athleticism at smaller sizes that offers make-you-miss ability with transcendent receiving skills.

Given the tenuous nature of elite running back value, it’s disconcerting that both backs face serious threats to their continued dominance. McCaffrey gets a new quarterback and a new coaching staff. Lack of continuity is exactly what we don’t want with a player coming off of an epic season. And yet, McCaffrey’s historic campaign occurred within the context of lackluster QB play, a poor scoring offense, and a mediocre coaching performance.

McCaffrey’s 148 targets may have stemmed, at least in part, from this offensive incompetence, but the benefits of an improved offense could give him the type of profile that Marshall Faulk exploited with the Greatest Show on Turf or that Priest Holmes demonstrated in Dick Vermeil’s juggernaut. It only makes sense to expect a level of decline for McCaffrey in 2020, but even after you factor that in, his upside is so great that it not only allows, it basically requires you to select him whenever you’re lucky enough to have the 1.01.

Even though Ekeler’s mid-second round ADP appears palatable for a back coming off of a 300-point season, the same dynamic may not apply. The Chargers star was targeted 108 times in 2020 on a team that led the NFL in receiving Expected Points (reEP) by a wide margin. Ekeler was also startlingly efficient. His 71 fantasy points over expectation (FPOE) as a receiver doubled the next closest RB.  Neither the volume numbers nor the efficiency numbers appear sustainable with a two-headed monster of Tyrod Taylor and Justin Herbert.

Ekeler generated huge returns as a centerpiece of our Zero RB candidates lists in 2018 and 2019, but as difficult it is to say about a back I own everywhere in dynasty, this probably isn’t the year to own him in redraft.

If we want to buy this type of package – a package that offers big returns on a yearly basis – where should we go in 2020?

3 Discount Options to Replace Ekeler’s Value + 2 Bonus Values

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

Please subscribe For Full Access to all RotoViz content and tools!

 

What’s included in your subscription??

  • Exclusive Access to RotoViz Study Hall
    • A treasure trove of our most insightful articles that will teach you the metrics that matter, time-tested winning strategies, the approaches that will give you an edge, and teach you how to be an effective fantasy manager.
  • Revolutionary Tools
    • Including the NFL Stat Explorer, Weekly GLSP Projections, NCAA Prospect Box Score Scout, Combine Explorer, Range of Outcomes App, DFS Lineup Optimizer, Best Ball Suite,and many, many, more.
  • Groundbreaking Articles
    • RotoViz is home of the original Zero-RB article and continues to push fantasy gamers forward as the go-to destination for evidence-based analysis and strategic advantages.
  • Weekly Projections
    • Built using RotoViz’s unique GLSP approach.
  • Expert Rankings
  • And a whole lot more…

Shawn Siegele

Author of the original Zero RB article and 2013 NFFC Primetime Grand Champion. 11-time main event league winner. 2015, 2017, 2018 titles in MFL10 of Death.

The 2025 FFPC Superflex Blueprint: A Complete Strategy Breakdown from the Roster Construction Explorer, Top 200 Rankings and Tiers, Discussing Tactics from Tournament Drafts, and More

In the 2025 FFPC Best Ball Superflex Blueprint, Shawn Siegele provides his updated top-200 rankings, detailed insights from the Roster Construction Explorer, and tactics from tournament drafts. I don’t think I need to pull any punches here. The FFPC Superflex Tournament is my favorite best ball format. It’s got everything you want — big prizes ($100,000 to first), low entry fee ($35), Superflex, and starting…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

The 15 Most Controversial Players in Fantasy and Why You Should Take a Closer Look at These 45 Options

Shawn Siegele breaks down the 15 most controversial players in fantasy football, talks about his favorite selections, and explains his own picks, all within the context of one of his favorite annual drafts. Pat Thorman’s MFL10 of Death is into its 12th year, and while the cast has subtly changed over the years, one thing stays the same. Pat assembles 11 of the best analysts…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

The 2025 Big Gorilla Bible: Updated Rankings and Tiers, Target Labels for Every Player, A Deep Dive into Tactics from Real Drafts, and Much More

Shawn Siegele updates his top-200 player rankings for 2025 redraft formats. Breaking the groups down into 11 tiers and providing ADP contrasts, Shawn gets you ready to win $1 million in the Big Gorilla. Fresh off our best dynasty and redraft seasons to date, the original edition of The Big Gorilla Blueprint was the biggest single-article project I’ve attempted in 15 years of writing about…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

The 2025 FFPC Superflex Blueprint: A Complete Strategy Breakdown from the Roster Construction Explorer, Top 200 Rankings and Tiers, Discussing Tactics from Tournament Drafts, and More

In the 2025 FFPC Best Ball Superflex Blueprint, Shawn Siegele provides his updated top-200 rankings, detailed insights from the Roster Construction Explorer, and tactics from tournament drafts. I don’t think I need to pull any punches here. The FFPC Superflex Tournament is my favorite best ball format. It’s got everything you want — big prizes ($100,000 to first), low entry fee ($35), Superflex, and starting…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

The 15 Most Controversial Players in Fantasy and Why You Should Take a Closer Look at These 45 Options

Shawn Siegele breaks down the 15 most controversial players in fantasy football, talks about his favorite selections, and explains his own picks, all within the context of one of his favorite annual drafts. Pat Thorman’s MFL10 of Death is into its 12th year, and while the cast has subtly changed over the years, one thing stays the same. Pat assembles 11 of the best analysts…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

The 2025 Big Gorilla Bible: Updated Rankings and Tiers, Target Labels for Every Player, A Deep Dive into Tactics from Real Drafts, and Much More

Shawn Siegele updates his top-200 player rankings for 2025 redraft formats. Breaking the groups down into 11 tiers and providing ADP contrasts, Shawn gets you ready to win $1 million in the Big Gorilla. Fresh off our best dynasty and redraft seasons to date, the original edition of The Big Gorilla Blueprint was the biggest single-article project I’ve attempted in 15 years of writing about…...

Membership Required

You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels

Already a member? Log in here

The Blitz

Connect
Support

rotovizmain@gmail.com

Sign-up today for our free Premium Email subscription!

Data provided by

© 2021 RotoViz. All rights Reserved.

Welcome Back to RotoViz...

– IF YOU HAVE ISSUES LOGGING IN PLEASE CONTACT ROTOVIZMAIN@GMAIL.COM

– PLEASE NOTE THAT ROTOVIZ USES WORDPRESS FOR ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT. IF RESETTING YOUR PASSWORD YOU MAY BE FOWARDED TO A WORDPRESS PAGE.