Who Should I Start? Audric Estime or Brashard Smith

Wednesday, August 27, 5:32 PM

The Philadelphia Eagles signed former Denver Broncos running back Audric Estime to their practice squad on Wednesday, sources told Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports. Estime was on the open market after failing to make the Broncos' 53-man roster in a backfield that includes rookie RJ Harvey, veteran J.K. Dobbins, Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie. In Philadelphia, he'll start on the practice squad for the reigning Super Bowl champions while providing depth behind Saquon Barkley, Will Shipley and AJ Dillon. He's still very young at 21 years old and was selected in the fifth round (147th overall) last year out of Notre Dame. Estime got a little bit of run in his first NFL season with Denver, carrying the ball 76 times for 310 yards (4.1 yards per carry) and two touchdowns in 13 regular-season games (one start). He can be avoided in all fantasy leagues for now.

Thursday, September 18, 11:29 AM

ESPN's Dan Graziano notes that with the Kansas City Chiefs' lack of production regarding their rushing attack, it wouldn't be surprising to see running back Brashard Smith see more opportunities. According to Graziano, the Chiefs view the SMU product more in a pass-catching role, and he could begin to see work there. Teammates Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt have handled all but one of the backfield carries through two weeks, and have been nearly as inefficient in the receiving game as they've been on the ground. Graziano speculates that once Kansas City trusts Smith to handle the full extent of his responsibilities, he'll become a factor in the offense. Until then, he's difficult to trust for fantasy, but the rookie boasts the highest ceiling of the trio, and the Chiefs were "very impressed" with him in camp.