Austin Ekeler officially questionable for Week 8, head coach Brandon Staley “hopeful” RB can play

Friday PM update: Head coach Brandon Staley said he is “hopeful” Ekeler can play Sunday. The running back is officially listed as questionable for the contest, although Staley’s comments suggest Ekeler will ultimately suit up against the Patriots.

Friday PM update: There is some hope that Ekeler will be able to play, as he is listed as questionable despite missing the last two practices. He will likely be considered a game-time decision.

Friday update: Ekeler was once again not practicing on Friday, per Daniel Popper. The team has not announced his final injury status, but this does not bode well for his chances of playing on Sunday.

The Los Angeles Chargers had an unexpected addition to the injury report on Thursday in Week 8. Running back Austin Ekeler was listed as a DNP after not appearing on Wednesday’s report. The injury is listed as related to his hip and right now there is no word on what the issue is.

Fantasy football implications

A mid-week addition to the injury report for a non-rest day is never a good thing. It’s possible this is a maintenance thing, but considering it’s a new injury, that’s a concern. He dealt with a hamstring injury coming into the season, but had been cleared of that for some time now.

This will be something to track heading toward the weekend. Joshua Kelley would likely take over the starting role if Ekeler were unable to go. Justin Jackson would get more work as well, but Kelley is coming off the bigger pre-bye workload. If we got a clear answer on the starter, that person would be worth a play, but this is a situation that is up in the air. The Chargers have one more practice on Friday.