Broncos fans rejoice. Javonte Williams is now a Cowboy after back-to-back miserable seasons for Denver. As it currently stands, Audric Estime, Jaleel McLaughlin, Tyler Badie, and Blake Watson are the running backs on the Broncos roster.

Estime saw limited playing time as a rookie and averaged a subpar 4.1 yards per carry with only 2 touchdowns. Perhaps more disappointing was Jaleel McLaughlin, who was expected to be a weapon in the passing game but instead ranked 54th out of 57 running backs in yards per route run. Badie’s season was lost to injury after a promising week 3 where he looked like he could emerge as a leader in the backfield. Watson was a complete non-factor in 2024, getting 4 carries for 10 yards on the season.

While this news is welcomed for Broncos fans and fantasy manager alike, the current running backs on the rosters are in trouble. At this point, McLaughlin shouldn’t be considered a lock to be on the Broncos roster by the time the season rolls around. Estime will almost certainly have a short yardage role for the team regardless of who they draft, and could even be a buy low target from managers concerned he will be phased out in 2025.

Author: Jonny Tooma (@FantasyPicasso)