The Denver Broncos are in the media right now, and it isn’t great news for the offense. QB Russell Wilson is no longer the starter, as the team benched him to save money heading into next season. QB Jarrett Stidham will be the starter the rest of the way, and you can bet he is going to need his running backs to deliver.
So, the question is, can Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine, or Jaleel McLaughlin be trusted to deliver big in fantasy football for Week 17?
Fantasy Outlook for Javonte Williams This Week
It hasn’t been a great last couple of weeks for Williams, even though he is getting the ball a decent amount. In his last two games, he has 12 catches for 27 yards against the Lions and then 11 carries for 24 yards and one touchdown.
The fact he is getting the ball a decent amount is definitely a positive sign. You also need to take a look at the two opponents the Broncos have played in the last two games. The Lions are currently ranked fourth against the run (90.6 yards), while the Patriots are the second-best rushing defense in the league (84.8 yards).
Up next is a game against the Los Angeles Chargers, who are 17th against the run (113.3 yards). These two teams played less than a month ago. Williams had 17 carries for 66 yards and one touchdown while also catching three passes for 25 yards. That comes out to a total of 18.1 PPR points.
Williams figures to have a solid game, and if you have two legitimate running backs, he’d be a perfect Flex option.
Fantasy Outlook for Jaleel McLaughlin This Week
In the first couple weeks of October, it felt like McLaughlin was about to become a bigger part of the Broncos’ offense. He had consecutive weeks with 68 and 72 rushing yards, totaling 140 yards.
However, in his other 13 games, he has only 220 yards. Last week against the Patriots was actually his fourth-best rushing game of the season.
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He has ability with the ball, but his ceiling just isn’t high enough to have in your lineup.
If he was guaranteed the same amount of carries as Williams, he would be very intriguing. He averages 5.6 yards per carry, while Williams averages only 3.6. However, the Broncos are sticking with Williams as their running back, so McLaughlin shouldn’t be in your lineup at all.
Fantasy Outlook for Samaje Perine This Week
Perine has nearly as many catches (45) as he does rushes (46) this year for the Broncos. While the 45 catches are a very good number, it hasn’t resulted in many touchdowns. He has scored only once this year, and that was on the ground.
He has a higher ceiling this week than McLaughlin, with Stidham being the quarterback. His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield could give him a few more snaps this week. Yet, he has to score touchdowns to have a legitimate fantasy day, and he hasn’t done that enough this season.
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, our Consensus Rankings say that Williams is the player to start. His projected 12.2 points include 45 rushing yards, five catches, and 25 receiving yards. That projected stat line easily outperforms the consensus projections of Perine’s 5.6 points and McLaughlin’s (4.4).
I am going with the Optimizer on this one, as Williams should be the guy in your lineup. With a new quarterback in a game both teams desperately need, the Broncos are going to rely on their running back.
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