Denver Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin was an efficient runner as a rookie, film that has put him in the conversation for an increased role in a backfield that lacks stability.
McLaughlin’s price in drafts will greatly hinge on this preseason. Is this the type of player you should be actively targeting, banking on his raw talent to earn him enough usage to be a fantasy football asset?
Jaleel McLaughlin’s 2024 Fantasy Outlook
- Total Fantasy Points: 148 (105 non-PPR)
- Rushing Yards: 572
- Rushing TDs: 1
- Receptions: 43
- Receiving Yards: 223
- Receiving TDs: 3
These are PFN’s consensus projections, correct as of August 16. The most up-to-date projections can be found in our Who Should I Draft Tool.
Should You Draft McLaughlin This Year?
As an undrafted free agent out of Youngstown State (1,888 total yards and 15 touchdowns during his final collegiate season), McLaughlin’s talent jumped off the screen in 2023.
Did Jaleel McLaughlin just steal Javonte Williams’ job? 🤔
pic.twitter.com/elFJQynypO— PlayerProfiler (@rotounderworld) October 8, 2023
Putting up numbers (5.4 yards per carry and an 86.1% catch rate) is one thing, but checking the analytic boxes is another. In our internal elusiveness metric, one that measures how often running backs exceed the “elite” qualifiers in terms of yards gained before or after contact, McLaughlin shined (minimum 50 rush attempts).
- De’Von Achane
- Tyjae Spears
- Jaleel McLaughlin
- James Conner
- Christian McCaffrey
We aren’t dealing with a great sample, but there’s no bad time to make a good impression, and McLaughlin certainly did that in his introduction to the NFL.
It may sound like sitting, but this is a fluid situation that I want exposure to. Depending on which way the wind blows, a different Denver running back will be shooting up ADP boards. I’m not too worried about Samaje Perine (if he remains on the roster), as he hasn’t had a 100-carry season since 2017 and has carved out more of a role-player niche.
Javonte Williams — being two years removed from the ACL, LCL, and posterior lateral corner tear — is interesting at cost (1,219 yards and seven scores as a rookie). Fifth-round rookie Audric EstimĂ© (210 carries for 1,341 yards and 18 touchdowns at Notre Dame last season) has a size profile that McLaughlin doesn’t and is rumored to have impressed Denver’s coaching staff from the moment he walked into the building.
- “I think his continued growth. You see him protecting the football and he is very disciplined as a change-of-pace route runner. I know he wants to continue to work on his role in the passing game.”
- “He’ll come up and wear me out asking for cut-ups and looking at certain routes. He’s here at 5:15 [a.m.], even in the offseason, [and is the] first one here running in the weight room. By the time he’s at breakfast and most people are arriving, he’s put in a good hour and a half’s worth of work. It’s just the way he’s wired, and it’s impressive.”
There’s a chance this backfield is a mess, and none of these running backs separate in a meaningful way. But the investment is so minimal that the potential reward of earning even 55% of the RB work in Sean Payton’s offense is well worth it.
Your fun fact of the day? Payton’s first name is Patrick. I couldn’t offer you clarity on how the touches will work out in this backfield, so I figured I’d give you a random nugget to use this season when you feel the time is right.
