Early under-the-radar standouts of the current NFL season

#2 Austin Ekeler

Having a guy like Melvin Gordon ahead of you on the depth chart and all those really good receivers around you does take some of the limelight away from you, but this guy is an outstanding overall player. Ekeler might not possess any elite attributes or impress you with his physical traits, but he does everything well.

The Chargers use him on jet-sweeps, inside runs, as a checkdown who makes things happen after the catch and as an actual downfield receiver out of the backfield as well as split out wide. Ekeler has had a ton of success finding space off counter and trap runs, he makes defenders miss at the second level and he is a tough runner.

In the passing game, he punishes defenses routinely when they decide to put a linebacker on him and is really tough to bring down in the open field. On just a third of the offensive snaps, the little dynamite has amassed 295 yards from scrimmage on 8.2 yards per carry and 12 yards per reception. Pro Football Focus actually has Ekeler graded as their number one running back in the league at this point. His touches may be limited, but he always makes most of them.