Austin Ekeler is just about ready to return to the field for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Ekeler, who hasn’t played since Week 1 while dealing with an ankle injury, said Tuesday that there is a “99% chance” that he plays against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night.
“I think it’s safe to say that AE30 is going to be out there on the field,” he said on his weekly “Ekeler’s Edge” podcast on the “Yahoo Football Fantasy Show” feed.
Ekeler first went down in the Chargers’ season-opening loss to the Miami Dolphins, and he hasn’t played since. He said ahead of Week 3 that his injury was more of a “day-to-day, week-to-week situation,” rather than something that would knock him out for several months.
Ekeler was “hopeful” that he’d be able to return to the field in Week 4 for their game against the Las Vegas Raiders, but the team opted to rest him instead. Now, with the Chargers coming off their bye week, Ekeler sounds like he’s back to his normal self and ready to go.
Ekeler had a career-high 915 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns last season with the Chargers, and was expected to be a huge fantasy player this fall. The 28-year-old is now in his seventh season in the league, and is in the final year of a four-year, $24.5 million deal with the team. Ekeler had 117 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 carries against the Dolphins.
The Chargers have won two straight heading into Monday’s game against the Cowboys, which brought them to 2-2 on the season. Joshua Kelley led the Chargers’ ground game with 65 yards on 17 carries in their 24-17 win over the Raiders in Week 4 with Ekeler still sidelined. Assuming he does indeed take the field, Ekeler’s presence should be a significant boost for the Chargers’ offense against the Cowboys — who are fresh off a rough 42-10 blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers.