Who Should I Start? Audric Estimé or Isaac Guerendo

Saturday, January 11, 10:48 AM

Denver Broncos rookie running back Audric Estime is hard to recommend for fantasy lineups against the Buffalo Bills on wild-card weekend this Sunday as part of a three-man RB committee in Denver that also includes Jaleel McLaughlin and Javonte Williams. Estime did have 12 carries in the Week 18 win over the Kansas City Chiefs -- his second-highest total of the year -- but most of his work came in garbage time in a 38-0 blowout. In his first 13 NFL games in 2024, Estime averaged 4.1 yards per carry and only 5.8 rushing attempts per game. Opportunities are surely to be limited again this weekend in a game the Broncos are nearly 10-point underdogs on the road. The 21-year-old will probably only pay off as a flex play for fantasy managers if he finds the end zone, which he was only able to do twice this year. Estime has little upside as long as he's sharing touches with McLaughlin and Williams.

Monday, January 6, 10:31 PM

An MRI exam on Monday morning revealed that San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Isaac Guerendo (ankle, knee) suffered an MCL sprain and an ankle sprain in the loss to the division-rival Arizona Cardinals on Sunday in the Week 18 regular-season finale, according to a source. Guerendo will have plenty of time to heal up in the offseason, and the best news is that he didn't suffer any damage to his ACL. Both of the injuries are to his left leg. The 24-year-old fourth-round pick didn't see much of an opportunity in 2024 until late in the season when both Christian McCaffrey (knee) and Jordan Mason (ankle) were ruled out for the year, but when he did get his chances, he was pretty effective out of the Niners' backfield. Guerendo finished with 5.0 yards per carry for 420 yards and four TDs on 84 carries through 16 games. He should serve as valuable insurance for McCaffrey in 2025.