The Denver Broncos‘ offense is going to look a lot different this season.
They have a new rookie QB. Their WR2 is gone. Javonte Williams is another year removed from his knee injury. Head coach Sean Payton is going to play his best players.
Could Jaleel McLaughlin push for enough work to be relevant in fantasy football?
Should You Select Jaleel McLaughlin at His Current ADP?
PPR Industry Consensus ADP: 169th Overall (RB51)
- Rookie-Year Hype: McLaughlin’s sophomore campaign is generating buzz, but it’s important to keep expectations in check. While he was efficient as a rookie, the context of being an undrafted free agent (UDFA) likely contributed to perceptions of him being more effective than he was.
- Efficiency and Skill: McLaughlin was quite efficient, averaging 5.3 yards per touch (10th in the league) and boasting a 25.2% evaded-tackles-per-touch rate (6th). Additionally, 5.3% of his carries went for 15+ yards, ranking 13th in the league. These numbers reflect his skill as a runner.
- Limited Opportunity: Despite his efficiency, McLaughlin couldn’t secure a larger role, failing to reach a 30% snap share from Week 7 onward. His touches remained limited, with eight or fewer in eight of his final 11 games.
- ADP Analysis: McLaughlin’s ADP is currently RB51, close to my ranking of RB50. While the cost appears low, his upside seems capped. Even in the best-case scenario, he might assume a passing-down role with limited fantasy impact.
- Final Verdict: Drafting McLaughlin carries minimal risk, but his path to significant fantasy relevance is unclear. Unless you believe he can achieve standalone RB3 value or has RB2 potential in case of an injury to Javonte Williams, McLaughlin may not be worth targeting in drafts.
PFN Consensus PPR Fantasy Ranking for Jaleel McLaughlin
Note that these rankings are the PFN Consensus Rankings and may not fully match my analysis. Since McLaughlin is ranked outside the top 75 in the PFN Consensus Rankings, we’ve listed the consensus RB rankings instead.
41) Jerome Ford, RB | Cleveland Browns
42) Blake Corum, RB | Los Angeles Rams
43) Chuba Hubbard, RB | Carolina Panthers
44) Antonio Gibson, RB | New England Patriots
45) Rico Dowdle, RB | Dallas Cowboys
46) Jaleel McLaughlin, RB | Denver Broncos
47) Tyler Allgeier, RB | Atlanta Falcons
48) Ty Chandler, RB | Minnesota Vikings
49) Kendre Miller, RB | New Orleans Saints
50) MarShawn Lloyd, RB | Green Bay Packers
51) Roschon Johnson, RB | Chicago Bears
McLaughlin’s Fantasy Profile for the 2024 Fantasy Season
There seems to be a fair amount of buzz surrounding McLaughlin as he heads into his sophomore campaign. There is certainly a lot to like about what he did as a rookie. However, let’s temper expectations a bit, as context is key. McLaughlin being a UDFA and truly coming out of nowhere contributed to the perception that he was perhaps more effective than he was.
Let’s start with the good: McLaughlin was quite efficient. He averaged 5.3 yards per touch, 10th in the league, and his 25.2% evaded-tackles-per-touch rate was sixth. An impressive 5.3% of McLaughlin’s carries went for 15+ yards, the 13th-highest rate in the league. A running back doesn’t reach these numbers without skill.
Now, for the not-as-good aspects: Regardless of the health or performance of Williams or Samaje Perine, McLaughlin was unable to earn an increase in work. McLaughlin had a couple of games early in the season when he saw more snaps, but from Week 7 onward, he did not reach a 30% snap share in a single game.
McLaughlin had those two massive games in Weeks 4 and 5, scoring 19.4 and 17.9 fantasy points. He did not have a single starter-worthy performance the rest of the season.
Touches are more important than snaps, but even that doesn’t help McLaughlin. He touched the ball eight times or fewer in eight of his final 11 games.
Is McLaughlin a Good Value in Fantasy Drafts?
McLaughlin’s ADP sits at RB51. I have him ranked as my RB50, which is a negligible difference. While this price looks to be cheap, what exactly is the upside here?
As always, I could be wrong, but I see McLaughlin’s absolute best-case scenario being the primary passing-down role. Effectively, he would be a better version of what Perine was last year. Where’s the fantasy upside?
Even if Williams were to go down, McLaughlin — at 5’8″, 187 pounds — is not about to be a 15-touch-per-game player. Perhaps he will see an extra couple of touches, but I don’t think his role changes. An injured Williams would likely be replaced by rookie Audric Estimé, who will be handling the early-down and goal-line work.
There’s not a ton of risk in drafting McLaughlin, but there needs to be a clear path to him making a difference. If you are pushing the button on McLaughlin, you need to believe one of two things: Either McLaughlin has standalone RB3 value as the Broncos’ passing-down back, or he has injury-contingent upside with RB2 potential should Williams get hurt.
I don’t believe either of those things to be the case. As a result, McLaughlin, despite clearly being a talented player, is not someone I am particularly interested in drafting.
