AustinEkeler

News: 5 days agoThe Commanders officially placed Ekeler (Achilles) on injured reserve Monday.

Spin: Ekeler went down while running a route in the flat in the fourth quarter of last Thursday's defeat at Green Bay and quickly was ruled out with an Achilles injury. After undergoing the necessary tests, a torn Achilles was confirmed, thereby wiping out the rest of his 2025 campaign. Rookie seventh-rounder Jacory Croskey-Merritt is expected to take on a good portion of the early-down work out of the Commanders backfield moving forward, but Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez also are on hand for any RB reps that linger.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Ekeler is returning for his ninth NFL season, including his second in Washington. Ekeler played eight full games with Brian Robinson Jr. last season (including the playoffs), with Ekeler handling 5.5 carries and 4.5 targets per game while playing 51% of the snaps. In those eight games, he wasn't much of a fantasy factor (10.0 PPG, clearing 12.8 once), which can somewhat be traced to a nonexistent role near the goal line (zero TDs or carries inside the 5). With Robinson traded, Ekeler's role may increase slightly this season, but that's not a sure thing with rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt in the fold. Ekeler was productive when Robinson was sidelined last season (3 TDs -- all from the 1-yard line -- and 15.4 PPG), so while he's now 30 years old, he has the look of a low-ceiling flex.