We know the reasons Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler is not supposed to repeat his amazing 2019 fantasy football season, when the diminutive, undrafted player from Western State in Colorado emerged in his third NFL campaign to catch 92 passes and finish as the No. 4 PPR running back in ESPN scoring. However, this is no longer a passing-down specialist, and seeing the lack of other achieved Chargers running backs, one can see a path for Ekeler to perform even better statistically. Fantasy managers are not ignoring Ekeler, but still ... he should be a first-round pick.
Much like my "Do Not Draft" column, this annual "Do Draft" list is often misconstrued for its intent. But ultimately, these are players I feel are strong values in relation to their ESPN ADP, and, well, I keep ending up with them on my fantasy football teams. Sometimes we, as fantasy managers, find out what we really believe while participating in myriad preseason drafts, real or mock, and become pushed to make quicker, intuitive decisions.