Who Should I Start? Audric Estimé or Chris Collier

Friday, December 20, 12:18 AM

With Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin (quadriceps) out for the Week 16 contest on Thursday night against the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers, rookie Audric Estime was Denver's lead rusher in the 34-27 loss. Estime had team-highs in carries (nine) and rushing yards (48) while finding the end zone for the first time in his NFL career. He was not targeted in the passing game. The nine carries were the second-most that the 21-year-old fifth-rounder has seen in his first year in the NFL, and he averaged a healthy 5.3 yards per carry. The Broncos certainly have high hopes for Estime in the long term, but how big of a role he'll have in a strong matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals' porous defense in Week 17 will probably all come down to the health of McLaughlin. The fact that Estime hasn't really been utilized in the running game would also make him no better than an RB3/flex if McLaughlin misses another game.

Saturday, August 24, 10:16 PM

Baltimore Ravens running back Chris Collier received the most work in the backfield again on Saturday, but couldn't turn it into much. The rookie out of Lock Haven University turned 13 carries into 42 yards and was only targeted once but didn't catch it. Now that the preseason has concluded, Collier finished with a total of 82 yards on 28 carries and two catches for 22 yards. He could only muster a 2.8 yards per carry average while the run game failed to do much throughout the preseason. Collier may still make the team at the end of the depth chart, but it seems like more than a long shot to see him on the field for anything other than special teams this season.