Who Should I Start? Blake Corum or Jaleel McLaughlin

Saturday, February 14, 6:33 AM

A third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Los Angeles Rams running back Blake Corum saw limited playing time in a reserve role behind Rams back Kyren Williams as a rookie. While Williams remained the team's RB1 in 2025, Corum saw a significant workload increase in his second NFL season. Across 17 games, Corum recorded 746 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 145 touches. He was highly efficient as a rusher when given an opportunity, averaging 5.1 yards per rush attempt. Still, Williams remains under contract with the Rams through the 2028 season, and he remained a standout performer by recording over 1,500 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns in 2025. Additionally, Corum has not shown much of an ability to impact the passing game so far in his NFL career, recording just 15 total receptions across 34 career games played. Corum proved that he can be an impact rusher at the NFL level in 2025, which is a notable development after his quiet rookie season. However, barring injury, his fantasy upside remains limited as long as both he and Williams are in Los Angeles.

Saturday, January 24, 7:55 PM

Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin should continue to be the primary change-of-pace back behind rookie RJ Harvey, with J.K. Dobbins remaining on Injured Reserve after a week of limited practices. In Denver's Divisional Round win over a Bills team that came into the playoffs with one of the worst run defenses in the league, McLaughlin was able to turn four carries into 21 yards. In the Conference Championship, he'll face a Patriots defense that has been dominant against the run since Milton Williams' return from an ankle injury that cost him five games. Through two playoff games, New England has allowed a total of 74 yards on designed runs, so if McLaughlin is to find any success on Sunday, it may need to come through screens and checkdowns, though that is a role that's been owned by Harvey for most of the year. McLaughlin is RotoBaller's RB7 for the week, but there is a world where he is entirely phased out of the game script.