Estime rushed nine times for 48 yards and a touchdown in the Broncos' 34-27 loss to the Chargers on Thursday night. Estime outpaced Javonte Williams and Blake Watson by five carries apiece -- although Williams did log a team-high 11 targets -- making the rookie back the leader of Denver's ground attack on the night. Estime also recorded his first NFL touchdown on a three-yard run just before the midway point of the first quarter to cap off a 10-play, 72-yard drive and open the scoring on the night. Estime had recorded 16 rushing yards or less on six or fewer carries in four consecutive games heading into Thursday, and it remains to be seen if his efficient performance will keep him in the lead role for a favorable Week 17 road matchup against the Bengals on Saturday, Dec. 28.
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Estime rushed nine times for 48 yards and a touchdown in the Broncos' 34-27 loss to the Chargers on Thursday night. Estime outpaced Javonte Williams and Blake Watson by five carries apiece -- although Williams did log a team-high 11 targets -- making the rookie back the leader of Denver's ground attack on the night. Estime also recorded his first NFL touchdown on a three-yard run just before the midway point of the first quarter to cap off a 10-play, 72-yard drive and open the scoring on the night. Estime had recorded 16 rushing yards or less on six or fewer carries in four consecutive games heading into Thursday, and it remains to be seen if his efficient performance will keep him in the lead role for a favorable Week 17 road matchup against the Bengals on Saturday, Dec. 28.
Estime rushed five times for 13 yards while catching his lone target for five yards in Sunday's 31-13 win over the Colts. Estime had another unimpressive performance Sunday, though his six total touches were his most since Week 11. As the Denver backfield continues to be a full-blown committee, the rookie running back has seen limited opportunities to make much noise on offense. Estime played just 13 of the Broncos' 63 offensive snaps against the Colts, behind both Javonte Williams (34) and Jaleel McLaughlin (15). For fantasy purposes, Estime, a Notre Dame product, is nothing more than a middling insurance policy in the event of injuries to either Williams or McLaughlin going forward. The Broncos visit the Chargers in Week 16.
Estime rushed three times for 12 yards in Monday's 41-32 win over the Browns. Estime played just eight of the Broncos' 66 offensive snaps, behind teammates Javonte Williams (30) and Jaleel McLaughlin (24). With head coach Sean Payton allowing for a more fluid rotation in the Denver backfield from week to week, Estime appears to be the odd man out recently, handling just 12 total carries over the past three games. With such limited usage, Estime should remain off the fantasy radar going forward barring injuries to either Williams or McLaughlin. The Broncos will host the Colts on Dec. 15 when they return from their Week 14 bye.
Estime rushed three times for 15 yards in Sunday's 29-19 win over the Raiders. Just two weeks after seemingly taking over as the Broncos' No. 1 running back, Estime has seen his usage diminish drastically since Week 10, now operating as Denver's third option out of the backfield. The rookie played just five of the Broncos' 68 offensive snaps, behind both Javonte Williams (38) and Jaleel McLaughlin (20). His eight percent snap share Sunday was a precipitous drop from the last two contests in which Estime handled snap shares of 45 percent and 22 percent in Weeks 10 and 11, respectively. Fantasy managers hoping to have found a late-season may need to come to terms with the fact that head coach Sean Payton will use the hot-hand approach with Denver's running back committee, limiting the 21-year-old Estime's weekly upside. Though he'll be difficult to trust in fantasy lineups, the Notre Dame product will have his next chance to get more involved in the offense when the Broncos host the Browns in Week 13.
Estime rushed six times for 66 yards while catching all three of his targets for nine yards in Sunday's 38-6 win over the Falcons. Estime got three fewer carries than Javonte Williams after notching 14 carries to Williams' one in Week 10 against the Chiefs. The rookie fifth-round pick out of Notre Dame hadn't been targeted in any of his previous six NFL appearances, so it was encouraging to see Estime get involved in the passing game. A timeshare between Williams and Estime is likely to unfold moving forward, though Williams may still be in line for a slight edge in playing time against the Raiders in Week 12.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton said Monday that he "was encouraged" with Estime's performance against the Chiefs and that the rookie will "continue to get more reps," Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports. After handling his largest workload of his rookie campaign, Estime seems to have earned a vote of confidence from Payton. It seems veteran Javonte Williams could continue to take a back seat to the 21-year-old after Williams handled just one carry against Kansas City. Though Estime has yet to be targeted in the passing game this season, his usage on the ground could result in solid fantasy production moving forward. Though fantasy managers may want to take a wait-and-see approach, the Notre Dame product could be in for a decent workload when the Broncos host the Falcons in Week 11.
Estime rushed 14 times for 53 yards in the Broncos' 16-14 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday. Estime was given the largest workload of his brief career, with backfield mate Javonte Williams surprisingly limited to just one rush attempt overall. The rookie handled the additional responsibility well, posting a new career high in rushing yards. The lack of involvement in the passing game was far from ideal, but Estime could have plenty of opportunity again in a Week 11 home matchup against the Falcons.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton said Monday that he anticipates Estime playing more frequently down the stretch, Chris Tomasson of The Denver Gazette reports. Since returning to action Week 6 following a four-week stint on injured reserve due to an ankle injury, Estime has been lightly sprinkled into Denver's game plan. He's played between two and seven snaps in each of the last four contests, carrying 13 times for 81 yards while going without a target. Though Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin currently remain ahead of Estime in the pecking order, the efficiency that that rookie has shown in his limited sample thus far could motivate the coaching staff to increase his workload in the weeks to come. With Williams headed for free agency this spring and uncertain to be retained by Denver, Estime could have a real chance at heading into 2025 as the team's starter if he continues to run effectively while seeing his snaps tick up over the second half of the season.
Estime carried the ball five times for 35 yards in Sunday's 41-10 loss to the Ravens. It was the rookie RB's best performance yet, but most of Estime's production came on a 21-yard gain on Denver's final possession of the fourth quarter while facing a 31-point deficit. The 2024 fifth-round pick is still third on the backfield depth chart behind Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin, but the latter's struggles this season -- after rushing for only 10 yards on five totes Sunday, McLaughlin has averaged 3.9 yards per carry, a huge drop from his 5.4 YPC in 2023 -- could open the door for Estime to earn a bigger role in the second half of the campaign.