Fantasy Football: 10 Sleepers to Target Late in Your Draft

Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

ADP: Undrafted

Playing backup to Melvin Gordon, Austin Ekeler didn't get much opportunity last season, and that exact same scenario may very well happen again in 2018.

But the reason Ekeler is enticing as a late-round dart throw is that when he did play last year, he looked pretty darn good. Ekeler carried the ball 47 times, racking up 260 yards and 2 scores and gaining 5.5 yards per carry. He added 27 catches (on 35 targets) for 279 yards and 3 touchdowns as a receiver.

While the per-touch efficiency is sweet, it means very little if Ekeler doesn't find a way to get more volume, and he'll probably be deployed in a part-time role as long as Gordon is healthy. With that said, Gordon played all 16 games in 2017 and Ekeler still put up four games with at least 10 standard-league fantasy points, so he's not a total zero even with Gordon in the fold. And if Ekeler sees extra passing-game work in the absence of Hunter Henry, he could have some standalone value as a spot starter during bye weeks.

On top of all that, the Los Angeles Chargers are one of the league's better offenses. They tied for third in yards per play (5.9) last year, and we have them projected as the seventh-best attack for 2018. So if Ekeler does weasel his way into more touches, they will come in a quality offense.

Ekeler ticks off some boxes, and while he'd almost surely need an injury to Gordon to be a league-winning late-round selection, he's worth a roll of the dice as your last pick.