Austin Ekeler Knows You Need Him to Win Your Fantasy League

When people are in the stands, that’s great. But they don’t see my face. They see No. 30 and go, “Oh, that’s Austin Ekeler.” That’s awesome, but with fantasy, they understand and they see my face on their team every single week. In public, I get recognized more by, “You’re on my fantasy team” than I do, “You play for the Chargers.”

You’re in the top five in fantasy points for running backs in nearly every league I checked. Is that what you expected?

There’s so many factors that go into that, like injuries to other guys, X, Y, Z. But what I do know, and what I guarantee all of my owners out there is that, look, when I’m on the field, the only thing on my mind is being efficient. That’s what’s got me in this league, and that’s what’s going to keep me in this league as long as I can continue to be efficient.

Do I feel like I’m playing well? I do, and I’ve had ups and downs, for sure. But that ranking indicates that I’m playing well and that I deserve to be somewhere around there.

When players get hurt, does it annoy you that a lot of people instantly think about the fantasy aspect rather than the well-being of the player?

No, because it goes back to the value thing. If you don’t add value to their team, they’re going to move on. There’s more supporters than haters. It’s a different dynamic, but it’s one of those where if you don’t understand fantasy football, you could see it and think, “Wow, that’s toxic.”