Another week and another loss for the Denver Broncos, this time falling to the New York Jets, 31-21. It has been a tough start to the season for the Broncos, as they are sitting at 1-4, with a trip to Kansas City Thursday looming.
One bright spot for the team is the play of Jaleel McLaughlin, who put together a second consecutive strong game against the New York Jets. With back-to-back solid performances, is it time for fantasy football managers to make a waiver wire move?
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Should Jaleel McLaughlin Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add in Week 6?
When you are looking for guys to pick up off the waiver wire, one of the most important things to keep in mind is consistency. There are a ton of players in the NFL who can have one big week. However, if you are about to put money on a guy to bring onto your team, you need to see a guy do it more than once before signing that player.
For McLaughlin, he showed that with another strong performance on Sunday against the Jets. In the Broncos game against the Bears last Sunday, McLaughlin had seven rushes for 72 yards and three catches for 32 yards. On Sunday, he had another strong game, carrying the ball nine times for 68 yards with another three catches for 21 yards.
This is the second straight week that he has a touchdown catch, and he once again led the team with carries. Javonte Williams didn’t play on Sunday, and this job is starting to tilt to McLaughlin being the No. 1 running back.
Even before the Williams injury, he didn’t look like he had the same pop he did prior to the ACL injury and wasn’t producing. Samaje Perine is more of a fill-in, depth type of running back and not the go-to guy.
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So, should you look at signing McLaughlin off the waiver wire? Yes, you should. He has shown that he can make plays, and the fact the Broncos are on a short week should mean he is going to be the main running back for Denver moving toward next week.
At 1-4, the Broncos are well on their way to being in the Caleb Williams sweepstakes. With the quick turnaround this week, the Broncos could be five games out of first place in their division by Thursday night.
With that in mind, they could be making a lot of roster moves and giving young players an opportunity to play the rest of the season.
McLaughlin absolutely falls into that role and could be a guy who has some Flex upside later in the year with the right matchup. Is he going to win you a fantasy championship? Probably not. However, could he have one big week in Week 9 that you steal a win and sneak you into the playoffs?
Absolutely, and with that in mind, take a look at McLaughlin and bring him on your team.