Who Should I Start? Audric Estimé or Brashard Smith

Saturday, June 13, 5:25 AM

Spending time on the practice squads of the Eagles and New Orleans Saints after being released by the Broncos ahead of the 2025 season, second-year running back Audric Estime eventually worked his way onto the Saints' active roster and finished the year with 204 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in the final two games of the season. However, any glimmer of hope heading into the 2026 season was dashed when the Saints made Travis Etienne Jr. the highest-paid free agent running back on the open market, relegating Estime to a rotational backup spot at best. With veteran Alvin Kamara still on the roster and 2025 sixth-round pick Devin Neal recovered from the hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve, the running back room is deep, and Estime is by no means a lock to stick on the 53-man roster. It bears noting that Neal was unable to finish the final session of OTAs, so his attendance will need to be monitored when the team returns for minicamp practices on Tuesday. That said, barring injury or a trade that sees the depth chart dramatically thinned ahead of him, Estime is a dynasty cut candidate with no clear path to fantasy relevance.