Back in August, Chargers running back Austin Ekeler answered a bold prediction from a listener to his Yahoo! Sports podcast with a bet. That listener wrote to predict Detroit Lions running backs David Montgomeru and Jahmyr Gibbs would finish the season as top-15 fantasy running backs.
"Ah, come on. Has that ever happened? Ekeler said. Where, two running backs on one team finished in the top-15? I mean, I'm going to say, no it's never happened....That is extremely bold. If that happens, I'll shave my eyebrows. You heard it here first."
It has happened before, it's just pretty rare. The Lions even had it happen once, when Reggie Bush and Joique Bell got it done in 2013 (full PPR).
Entering Week 16, we updated where the bet stood and Ekeler was certainly in danger of losing his eyebrows using Yahoo!'s default 0.5-point PPR scoring as well as standard scoring. Gibbs finished as the RB9 in 0.5-point PPR (through Week 17).
Montgomery finished as RB14 in 0.5-point PPR.
David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs made Austin Ekeler have to lose his eyebrows
On Friday, Ekeler and co-host Matt Harmon did the season finale of Ekeler's Edge. Harmon addressed the eyebrow bet.
Austin Ekeler eyebrow update 🚨 pic.twitter.com/QSDBa7ZmCW
— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) February 9, 2024
"The big thing we have to catch up on is indeed 'eyebrow gate.' In the preseason, you, for no reason, at all, other than you were feeling it in the moment....a listener sent in a bold prediction saying that both Lions' running backs, David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, would finish inside the top-15 in Yahoo! standard scoring, half PPR."
"And Austin just goes, no, that's never happened... and sure enough, both Lions' running backs scored inside the top-15. And you now have to shave your eyebrows..."
Ekeler is apparently getting married soon, so shaving his eyebrows is not happening before that. As much fun as it would have been, Harmon was not going to make him pay off the bet live on-air Friday with that in mind. But it will get done.
Ekeler gave credit to the Lions' running back duo and the accuracy of the bold prediction, before declaring the eyebrow shaving will be done "post-wedding for sure." Next time he'll think twice before making such a foolish bet, but maybe a charitable aspect can be laced into it doing the eyebrow removal.