Who Should I Start? Austin Ekeler or Chase Brown

Monday, March 11, 7:05 PM

Veteran free-agent running back Austin Ekeler is signing with the Washington Commanders on Monday on a two-year deal worth up to $11.43 million, according to sources. Ekeler is headed to the East coast after seven seasons and 69 total touchdowns with the Los Angeles Chargers. The 28-year-old was extremely productive in his time with the Bolts, but he's coming off one of his worst statistical seasons in 2023 and is now heading to a Commanders backfield where he'll be expected to split the workload with Brian Robinson. On a side note, former Commanders RB Antonio Gibson agreed to join the New England Patriots. Gone are the days of Ekeler being a no-doubt RB1 for fantasy managers, although he still has the talent to be a highly productive RB3/flex option, especially in PPR leagues. In addition, the Commanders' signing of Ekeler is going to be bad news for B-Rob's fantasy ceiling.

Monday, April 29, 11:49 PM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown remains the No. 2 option out of the backfield after the team opted not to select any competition in the NFL Draft. Cincinnati replaced Joe Mixon with Zack Moss last March, and while it seemed like they could upgrade their backfield in the draft, that wasn't the case. Instead, it appears Moss will be Cincinnati's primary running back, barring a surprise signing or trade. Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic indicates that Moss has a leg up over Brown heading into the summer, including on third downs. This isn't necessarily a surprise given that Moss looked great in Indianapolis last year, but Brown also flashed promise as a rookie, totaling 335 yards and a touchdown. He enters the summer as Moss' backup but could push for more snaps with a strong camp.