Who Should I Start? Hunter Luepke or Audric Estimé

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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.