In Estime’s ($4,500) first game with the Saints after being claimed off waivers, the 23-year-old immediately saw a large role in this past Sunday’s win over the Browns.
Estime rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries and he caught his lone target for five yards. Estime finished with 14.7 FPTS, making him the No.10 scoring running back for Week 9.
However, this performance came with Travis Etienne ($5,500) inactive and after being sidelined since Week 3 with a hamstring injury, the back returned to practice Wednesday and got a limited session in. Etienne still needs to be activated off IR in order to play Sunday vs. the Panthers and HC Kellen Moore told the media the Saints will decide at the end of the week if Etienne is ready to return.
With or without Etienne, what is Estime’s fantasy value for Week 10?
Audric Estime’s Week 10 Fantasy Outlook
With Etienne inactive this past Sunday vs. the Browns, Estime was the Saints’ main rusher over Alvin Kamara ($5,000). These two nearly played the same amount of snaps, with Kamara out-snapping Estime 37-35, but Estime led the way with 15 carries compared to six for Kamara. In the redzone, Estime saw three carries while Kamara saw none. However, Kamara was the primary receiving back, per usual. The veteran saw four targets on 27 routes, whereas Estime saw one target on 13 routes.
Overall, Estime out-touched Kamara 16-9. Given the Saints won this game with Estime playing a big role, he should see a similar workload again this Sunday vs. the Panthers if Etienne remains sidelined and this is a great matchup. Carolina is giving up the most rushing touchdowns (13) and the seventh-most yards per rush this season (4.6).
Estime would be a rock-solid RB3/FLEX play for season-long leagues in this spot and he would be an awesome punt play for DFS at only $4,500 on DraftKings.
However, if Etienne returns, things become more complicated. Etienne’s role before getting hurt was disappointing relative to where he was being selected in fantasy drafts this summer, but he still averaged 13.7 touches per game in three contests. The Saints signed Etienne to a four-year, $52 million deal this offseason, so they clearly want to use him and if he suits up this Sunday, Etienne and Estime garnering a similar amount of touches is realistic.
Etienne playing would significantly hurt Estime’s value and in that situation, Estime would be a risky FLEX play for season-long leagues and he would be a dart throw for GPPs in DFS.
