Who Should I Start? Carson Steele or Audric Estimé

Monday, September 30, 4:26 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Carson Steele had two carries for six yards in the 17-10 win against the Los Angeles Chargers. Steele was the starter again this week, coming off a performance where he carried the ball 17 times, but things did not go his way in this one. Steele fumbled on his first carry of the game, which led to him only getting one more carry in this contest. The coaching staff plugged Kareem Hunt into Steele's place, and Hunt was efficient with his touches. Steele will try to get back in the good graces of his coaches against the New Orleans Saints in Week 5. The Saints have allowed the fifth-most yards per carry to opposing offenses, so Steele should be productive with his touches. It remains to be seen if the team will roll with Hunt as the lead back or if they will give Steele another chance as the starter. The two Chiefs backs could split the workload, capping each other's value. The Chiefs should also be getting Clyde Edwards-Helaire back soon, which would further muddy the situation. Given the uncertainty surrounding the Kansas City backfield, trusting Steele in your starting lineup will be difficult.

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.