Browns Place Raheim Sanders on IR, Sign Audric Estime

The Browns have placed running back Raheim Sanders on injured reserve with a hip injury and signed running back Audric Estime off the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad to the active roster, according to ProFootballTalk (NBC Sports). Sanders suffered the injury in Sunday's loss to the Jets. IR means he'll miss at least four games.

Raheim Sanders

Sanders is done for at least the next four weeks — IR is a hard stop in fantasy, so drop him in redraft leagues if your roster is tight. Beyond the running back role, the source story notes he was Cleveland's primary kick returner, averaging 29.3 yards per return, so his IDP or return-yardage value also evaporates. Dynasty managers can stash him, but he's a non-factor until he's reinstated.

Audric Estime

Estime jumps straight to the 53-man roster, which makes him the most immediate waiver wire (the pool of unclaimed free-agent players) add in Cleveland's backfield. He has NFL experience — seven games with one start for New Orleans last year, 198 rushing yards, a touchdown, and 12 catches for 103 yards — plus 13 games with Denver in 2024, per the source story. That pass-catching ability matters in PPR (point-per-reception) formats if he's featured in Cleveland's offense. We don't yet know Cleveland's full depth chart or who else is competing for carries, so temper expectations until we see his Week 6 role, but he's worth a speculative add now before the rest of your league notices.

The key connection here is simple: Sanders' IR designation directly opens the door for Estime. These two moves are the same transaction, and Estime's value exists because Sanders is gone.