Austin Ekeler Week 16: Is Austin Ekeler Playing This Week?

While dealing with an ankle injury, Austin Ekeler managed to suit up for the Los Angeles Chargers during their Week 15 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Unfortunately, a new medical scare is leaving the electric rusher's Week 16 status up in the air.

Austin Ekeler Injury Update

The Chargers announced on Monday that Ekeler has been placed on the COVID-19 list. There's still no word on if he tested positive for the virus or not, which makes it a situation worth monitoring going forward.

C Corey Linsley, OLB Joey Bosa and RB Austin Ekeler are being placed on the COVID-19 list, per source. #Chargers dealing with a situation. More names expected later today.
— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) December 20, 2021

Is Austin Ekeler Going to Play This Week?

Austin Ekeler's official Week 16 status for the game against the Houston Texans will likely be determined sometime this week depending on if he tests positive or not, as well as his vaccination status.

Under the NFL's COVID policy, a fully vaccinated player who tests positive can't rejoin or interact with his team until he produces negative results. Meanwhile, unvaccinated players must isolate for 10 days after testing positive.

When is Austin Ekeler Coming Back?

Again, it all depends on if he tests positive or negative for COVID-19, as well as his vaccination status. If he has his shots and tests negative before the game, he'll be good to go for Sunday. If he's unvaccinated or tested positive, we won't see him until Week 17.

Austin Ekeler Week 12

The Chargers and Texans will collide in Houston at 1 p.m. EST on Sunday. FanDuel Sportsbook is currently listing Los Angeles as the 9.5-point road favorite.

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Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.