Javonte Williams

Despite RB Jaleel McLaughlin's absence, the Broncos stuck with a three-man committee backfield in Thursday night's loss to the Chargers. RB Audric Estime led the way with nine carries for 48 yards and a score. But he played just 13 offensive snaps -- 20 fewer than RB Javonte Williams and three more than RB Blake Watson. Williams finished with four carries and a team-high 11 targets, while Watson tallied four carries and two targets. The Broncos even used WR Marvin Mims in the backfield for five snaps.

Williams showed off his burst on a 15-yard rush and was an effective safety valve for Bo Nix, but as per usual, most of the touches didn't result in much for the 24-year-old. Audric Estime was the much more effective runner, but Estime's inability to help in the passing game serves to Williams' benefit. Jaleel McLaughlin sat out Thursday with a quad injury, and his potential return in Week 17 against the Bengals makes this a muddy situation that won't likely clear up before the end of the year.

Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin (quad) is out for Thursday night's game vs. the Chargers. That turns this from a three-man committee to a two-man committee, raising the ceilings and floors on both RB Javonte Williams and RB Audric Estime. It's still a backfield we'd rather avoid in fantasy lineups, but Williams lands inside the top 35 RBs in the Week 16 Rankings.

McLaughlin led Broncos running backs with seven carries in Week 15 and tied for a positional-high three targets before being forced from play. His Week 16 absence consolidates the backfield touch dispersal, moderately increasing Javonte Williams and Audric Estime's flex-viability.

He left Week 15's game against the Colts with a quad injury early in the second half, and with Thursday Night Football looming, this might be too quick of a turnaround for him. It would actually be beneficial for fantasy managers to have less questions about Denver's backfield, and McLaughlin missing a game would be a positive for the FLEX appeal of Javonte Williams and Audric Estime.