Kalen Ballage Fantasy Football News
by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Steelers’ Kalen Ballage: Dealing with lower-body injury
Kalen Ballage suffered a lower-body injury in Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game against Dallas, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.It’s not immediately clear how Ballage suffered the injury, or how serious the knock may be. Prior to the issue, he received five carries and gained 19 yards — highlighted by a five-yard touchdown. Ballage is battling to make Pittsburgh’s roster, competing for a depth role with Jaylen Samuels and Tony Brooks-James, and any missed time would hurt his chances of making the team.
by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Steelers’ Kalen Ballage: Gets more competition for touches
Kalen Ballage will have to compete for touches this year after the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Najee Harris with the 24th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic reports.Ballage signed a one-year contract with the Steelers at the end of March, and Pittsburgh strengthened its running game by selecting the first running back in the draft. Coach Mike Tomlin called Harris a “three-down back” after the team selected him Thursday, signaling that Ballage should have to compete with Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland for touches in a secondary role during his first year with the Steelers. Ballage averaged 3.3 yards on 91 carries with the Chargers and Jets last season and may have to compete for a spot on the Week 1 roster during training camp and the preseason.
by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Steelers’ Kalen Ballage: Headed to Pittsburgh
Kalen Ballage is signing a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.Few teams, if any, have a weaker depth chart at running back, though Dale Lolley of DKPittsburghSports.com expects the Steelers to find their starter in the 2021 NFL Draft. Ballage likely will need to compete for a roster spot, as he’s averaged only 3.1 yards on 201 carries and 5.5 yards on 52 receptions in the NFL. He’ll be up against Benny Snell, Anthony McFarland, Jaylen Samuels and Trey Edmunds, plus whatever rookie(s) the Steelers add.
by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Chargers’ Kalen Ballage: Emerges as capable backup
Kalen Ballage carried the ball 13 times for 36 yards and a touchdown in the Los Angeles Chargers’ Week 17 win over the Chiefs.Ballage — who finished the 2020 season with a combined 402 yards and three TDs with a pair of teams — put together an uneventful three-game stint with the Jets before joining the Chargers midway through the campaign. From a statistical standpoint, the ensuing eight games were easily the busiest juncture of Ballage’s three-year career to date, as the 25-year-old logged 108 touches in that span, mainly in the absence of Austin Ekeler (quad). While Ballage put together career-highs in rushing yards (290) and receiving yards (99), he was hardly efficient with his opportunities, finishing the season with a paltry 3.3 yards-per-carry average. It remains to be seen how the Chargers manage their carry distribution at running back moving forward with head coach Anthony Lynn now out of the picture. The offense had been almost dependent on a bruising back capable of running between the tackles as a fulcrum of sorts to work alongside Ekeler during Lynn’s tenure, but a more imaginative coach could choose to make Ekeler the truly dominant option out of the backfield, thus forcing the backups to remain largely out of the picture. While Ballage’s counting stats could make him a frontrunner for whatever the team’s top backup RB job looks like in 2021, Justin Jackson, 2020 fourth-round pick Joshua Kelley and possibly others could contend for that role entering next season.
by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Chargers’ Kalen Ballage: Minimal factor in win
Kalen Ballage carried the ball four times for 14 yards and also caught two passes for 12 yards in Sunday’s 19-16 win over the Broncos on Sunday.Ballage saw just 16 offensive snaps, the lowest total to date during his brief Los Angeles Chargers tenure, but he still managed to tally 26 total yards, a three-week high. The 25-year-old will have one more week to make his case as the team’s optimal backup option for 2021 behind stalwart Austin Ekeler.
by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Chargers’ Kalen Ballage: Scores TD but does little else
Kalen Ballage carried eight times for 11 yards and a touchdown in Thursday’s 30-27 win over the Raiders.The Los Angeles Chargers entire rushing attack was largely inefficient, but Ballage’s 1.4 yards-per-carry stood out as dismal. The castaway running back has seen around 20-30 offensive snaps each game since the return of Austin Ekeler, making his fantasy value almost strictly dependent on the ability to get into the end zone.
by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Chargers’ Kalen Ballage: Relegated to afterthought
Kalen Ballage carried the ball seven times for 14 yards and caught just one of his two targets for six yards in Sunday’s 20-17 win over the Falcons.It’ll be important to monitor the status of Austin Ekeler (quad) who was estimated as non-participant in Monday’s practice leading into the Thursday night matchup against the Raiders. With Ekeler healthy, Ballage has totaled just 14 carries and six targets over the last two games after serving as the team’s workhorse in previous weeks.
by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Chargers’ Kalen Ballage: Totals 39 yards in return
Kalen Ballage (ankle) carried the ball seven times for 34 yards and also caught three of his four targets for five yards in Sunday’s 45-0 loss to the Patriots.It’s hard to really read much into Ballage’s usage given how quickly the Los Angeles Chargers trailed in this contest. The 24-year-old saw one fewer carry than stalwart Austin Ekeler, but the difference in targets (nine to four) should be expected given the dramatic difference in the score. Seeing 38 percent of the offensive snaps is notable considering Joshua Kelley registered just 23 percent of the offensive snaps in Ekeler’s return from injury last week, so we can at least rule out the possibility Ballage could get phased out of the offense entirely. By default, expect a better performance from Ballage and company next week against the Falcons.
by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Chargers’ Kalen Ballage: Suits up Sunday
Kalen Ballage (ankle) is listed as active for Sunday’s game against the Patriots.Ballage is back in the Los Angeles Chargers’ backfield mix after sitting out the team’s Week 12 loss to the Bills. However, with Austin Ekeler having reclaimed his role as the team’s lead runner, Ballage’s fantasy upside has dipped following a three-game run (Weeks 9 through 11) in which he was featured by the team while Ekeler was sidelined.
by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Chargers’ Kalen Ballage: Likely playing Sunday
Kalen Ballage (ankle), who is listed as questionable, is expected to play Sunday against the Patriots, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.The 24-year-old received the questionable tag despite being able to practice with no limitations Friday, so it’s not a major surprise he’ll be suiting up versus New England. Ballage was handling the lead role in the Los Angeles Chargers’ backfield before sitting out Week 12, but Austin Ekeler made his return from injured reserve and picked up 25 touches after the six-game absence. Ballage likely will operate as the team’s secondary tailback while Ekeler continues to handle the majority of the work.
