Who Should I Start? Austin Ekeler or Jaleel McLaughlin

Saturday, January 18, 11:46 PM

Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler tallied 47 yards on six attempts during their victory over the Detroit Lions on Saturday evening. Ekeler added 41 yards on four receptions in the receiving game. Ekeler flashed his breakaway speed all evening as his longest run went for 35 yards, and his reception went for 24 yards. Even though Ekeler was not as involved in the rushing attack, given the high-scoring affair, Ekeler was able to make a significant impact in the receiving game. Ekeler also saw four targets during their wild-card victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers suggesting he has a prominent role in the team's passing attack. Ekeler carries RB2 upside heading into the NFC Championship match.

Monday, January 13, 10:50 AM

Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin was a complete non-factor in the team's 31-7 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday on wild-card weekend. Like most of the season, Denver's backfield was stuck in the mud and couldn't get anything going to control the game, with rookie quarterback Bo Nix leading the team with 43 rushing yards on four carries. McLaughlin, who had been the leader of a committee backfield late in the season, had only two rushing attempts for minus-two yards while catching his only target for no gain. It was a dismal end to the 24-year-old's second season in the NFL. He finished with 113 carries for 496 yards (4.4 yards per carry) and only one rushing touchdown in 16 regular-season games while adding 24 catches for 76 yards and two more TDs through the air. Denver will surely look to upgrade their backfield in the offseason to give more help to Nix in 2025.