X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Is Austin Ekeler Out For the Season? Week 18 Fantasy Football Injury Update

Austin Ekeler - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL News

Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler (concussion) suffered an injury when returning a kickoff in the final seconds of a 34-26 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12. This injury has sidelined Ekeler since and landed him on the IR (Injured-reserve), meaning he has had to miss the last four games. 

Concussions are always tricky,  as there is a process and steps needed to be taken to be cleared from the concussion protocol. Some return the next week, and some take up to multiple weeks to return. In Ekeler's case, he missed the minimum four games, combined with the Commanders' Week 14 bye week.

So, will Ekeler play again in 2024?

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:

 

Is Austin Ekeler Out For The Season?

The Washington Commanders announced on Wednesday morning that they had opened the 21-day practice window for running back Ekeler (concussion) to return from Injured Reserve. Ekeler can resume practicing with the team on Wednesday and be eligible to come off IR and play in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival Dallas Cowboys.

Later in the afternoon on Wednesday, it was reported that Ekeler was a full participant in his return to practice that day. This is a very encouraging sign of his availability for Sunday. If the 29-year-old pass-catching back will play this weekend, he'll need to come off IR by Saturday officially.

The Commanders will want to consider how much they want to play Ekeler against the Cowboys in Week 18. In Week 17, the Commanders locked up a playoff spot with their 30-24 win over the Atlanta Falcons. If they win against the Cowboys in Week 18, they will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs. If they lose to the Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers win, they will go to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles, which would be a much tougher matchup.

Given the recent news, there is optimism that Ekeler will play in some capacity on Sunday. It just remains to be seen how much work he will get. With the Commanders focusing on how far they can go in the playoffs, it may be beneficial for them to play Ekeler cautiously. Fantasy Managers will want to look elsewhere to find production in Week 18. Ekeler is a low-end RB3/Flex option if he plays.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Giannis Antetokounmpo7 mins ago

Considered Probable Against Raptors
Seattle Seahawks8 mins ago

Seahawks Fire Offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb
Ausar Thompson12 mins ago

Questionable Monday Due To Illness
Chicago Bears14 mins ago

Bears Formally Request To Interview Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn For Head-Coaching Job
Zay Flowers20 mins ago

Considered Day-To-Day
Michael Pittman Jr.33 mins ago

Dealing With Fracture In His Back
Jerami Grant37 mins ago

Won't Suit Up Monday Against Pistons
Kelly Oubre Jr.41 mins ago

Questionable Monday Against Suns
Royce O'Neale45 mins ago

Set To Miss Third Consecutive Game
Brian Thomas Jr.54 mins ago

Tops Century Mark In Loss To Colts
Jusuf Nurkic1 hour ago

Suns Benching Jusuf Nurkic
New England Patriots2 hours ago

Patriots Request To Interview Ben Johnson
Bradley Beal2 hours ago

Removed From Suns' Starting Lineup
New York Jets2 hours ago

Jets Request Interviews With Arthur Smith, Bobby Slowik, Joe Brady
Jonnu Smith2 hours ago

Catches Touchdown In Season Ending Loss To Jets
Deshaun Watson2 hours ago

Suffers Setback In Achilles Recovery
De'Von Achane2 hours ago

Scores In Crushing Loss To Jets
New York Giants3 hours ago

Giants Retain Both Brian Daboll And Joe Schoen
Jacksonville Jaguars3 hours ago

Jaguars Move On From Doug Pederson, Trent Baalke Stays
Frank Vatrano5 hours ago

Nets Two Goals On Sunday Evening
Sebastian Aho5 hours ago

Leads Carolina To Victory With Three-Point Night
Bo Horvat5 hours ago

Scores Game-Winner On Sunday
Filip Chytil5 hours ago

Scores Twice On Sunday
Jake McCabe5 hours ago

Exits Early On Sunday
Philip Tomasino5 hours ago

Placed On Injured Reserve
Jahmyr Gibbs12 hours ago

Scores Four Touchdowns As Lions Claim Top Seed
Tyreek Hill12 hours ago

Played Through Torn Ligament In Wrist
Miami Dolphins12 hours ago

Dolphins Bringing Back Mike McDaniel, Chris Grier
David Montgomery12 hours ago

Completes Workout Ahead Of Playoffs
Courtland Sutton12 hours ago

Reaches 1,000 Yards, Scores In Week 18
Minnesota Vikings12 hours ago

Vikings Won't Trade Kevin O'Connell
Marvin Mims Jr.12 hours ago

Scores Two Touchdowns For Second Straight Week
Bo Nix12 hours ago

Saves His Best For Last To Get Broncos Into The Playoffs
Greg Dortch13 hours ago

Scores Two Touchdowns In Week 18
Karl-Anthony Towns13 hours ago

Questionable Versus Orlando
Trey Murphy III13 hours ago

Injured On Sunday Night
Ben Simmons14 hours ago

Might Miss Monday's Game
D'Angelo Russell14 hours ago

Considered Questionable Against The Pacers
Joel Embiid14 hours ago

Back On The Injury Report For Monday Night
Tari Eason18 hours ago

Out On Sunday
Gabe Vincent18 hours ago

Remains Sidelined Versus Rockets
Anthony Davis18 hours ago

Cleared For Action Sunday
LeBron James18 hours ago

Good To Go Against Houston
Jonathan Kuminga18 hours ago

To Miss Time With "Significant" Ankle Sprain
Stephen Curry18 hours ago

Available Sunday
Kris Letang19 hours ago

Returns To Penguins Lineup
William Carrier19 hours ago

Misses Sunday's Game With A Lower-Body Injury
Aaron Ekblad19 hours ago

Sits Out Sunday's Practice
Travis Hamonic19 hours ago

To Miss Up To Four Weeks
Bilal Coulibaly19 hours ago

Ruled Out Sunday Against New Orleans
Jordan Poole19 hours ago

Out Sunday Against New Orleans
Linus Ullmark19 hours ago

Out Week-To-Week
Dejounte Murray19 hours ago

Available Sunday In Washington
Frank Vatrano19 hours ago

Signs Three-Year Extension With Ducks
Clayton Kershaw2 days ago

Intends To Pitch In 2025, Expected To Return To Los Angeles
Thatcher Demko2 days ago

Joining Team For Five-Game Road Trip
Pyotr Kochetkov2 days ago

Starts Against Wild On Saturday
Joseph Woll2 days ago

In Maple Leafs Net On Saturday
Scott Wedgewood2 days ago

Unavailable On Saturday
Jack Drury2 days ago

Back For Hurricanes Saturday
Auston Matthews2 days ago

Returns To Action On Saturday
Jordan Binnington2 days ago

Shuts Out Senators
Brandon Saad2 days ago

Ends Goal Drought With A Hat Trick
Mike Matheson2 days ago

Records Two Assists Friday
Charlie Morton3 days ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Baltimore
Pete Alonso4 days ago

Angels "Looking At" Pete Alonso
Xander Schauffele5 days ago

Hoping To Find Success Again At Majors In 2025
Chris Kirk5 days ago

Starts 2025 Defending The Sentry Title
Max Homa5 days ago

Hopes To Rebound After Disappointing 2024 Season
Nick Dunlap5 days ago

Looks To Build On Impressive Rookie Season
Collin Morikawa5 days ago

Heads To The Sentry After Excellent 2024 Season
PGA5 days ago

Sungjae Im Hoping To Start 2025 Season Strongly At The Sentry
Russell Henley5 days ago

Closes Out 2024 Season Strong
Jason Day5 days ago

Looks Ahead To 2025 Season At The Sentry
Akshay Bhatia5 days ago

To Repeat Last Year’s Sentry Performance?
Ludvig Aberg5 days ago

Returns To The Sentry
Jesús Luzardo5 days ago

Jesus Luzardo Feeling 100 Percent
Maverick McNealy5 days ago

Making First Career Start At Kapalua
Corey Conners5 days ago

Making Third Consecutive Start At Kapalua
Viktor Hovland5 days ago

A Gametime Decision For Year's First Event
Tony Finau5 days ago

Making Sixth Start At Kapalua After Rumor-Filled Offseason
Justin Thomas5 days ago

Looks To Get Off To Fast Start In 2025 At Kapalua

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP