Audric Estime Week 11 Waiver Wire Fantasy Outlook: Should Broncos RB be a priority add?

Audric Estime's Denver Broncos suffered perhaps their most gut-wrenching loss since Super Bowl 48 on Sunday. Some fans continue to ask big questions about how the Chiefs are continuing to win ugly football games, but one Broncos winner of the day was their running back.

Estime appeared to usurp the other backs in the contest, earning 14 carries in a production load multiple times bigger than anything he had seen thus far. However, is this a one-time anomaly or a sign of a changing of the guard away from Javonte Williams?

Audric Estime waiver wire fantasy outlook for Week 11

Audric Estime at Broncos at Ravens - Source: Getty

The production wasn't exactly impressive from a fantasy football standpoint, earning just 53 yards on 14 carries with no scores and no catches. As such, his value is in question.

Earning just 3.8 yards per carry in the contest won't be enough to give him a long leash going forward. That said, it appears that this might be a longer-term experiment going forward at least into Week 11.

For those desperate to add a running back with starting potential to cover up a bye week, Audric Estime makes sense as a waiver wire addition. Sportskeeda's Start/Sit Optimizer agrees, projecting 10.1 points this week against the Atlanta Falcons.

While he didn't turn in an amazingly productive game against a Chiefs defense that ranks third in the NFL in rushing yards per game allowed, one more 14-touch game against their next opponent could be a different story.

The Broncos face the Falcons, who have the 20th-ranked rushing defense in the league, per ESPN analytics. As such, the odds are stacked in his favor this week.

The question is whether Sean Payton will let it ride with Estime one more week before giving the reins back to Williams or experimenting with Jaleel McLaughlin. Also, the scripting of the game is a big catalyst for how well Estime does.

If Falcons QB Kirk Cousins starts off strongly and puts the Broncos in a hole, Estime's value could take a nosedive as Bo Nix will need to throw to get back in the game. Estime hasn't shown an ability to work as a receiving back, so the script would effectively nullify him.

That said, with the team heading into the game livid after nearly beating the Chiefs, expect at least a tight contest through all four quarters, which is good news for Audric Estime.