Who Should I Start? Jaleel McLaughlin or Jaydon Blue

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.

Monday, May 12, 4:24 PM

The Athletic's Jon Machota writes that he thinks Dallas Cowboys running backs Javonte Williams, Jaydon Blue, Miles Sanders and Phil Mafah will end up getting almost all of the backfield work for the team in 2025. Machota sees Williams being the leader early in the season, but eventually the rookie Blue will get more carries and lead the team in rushing. Machota thinks that by the end of the year, Blue, a fifth-round pick this year, will be their No. 1 RB. The 21-year-old Texas product is staying in state and will bring much-needed speed to Dallas' backfield this year. The 5-foot-9, 196-pounder isn't all that big, but he should complement the power of both Williams and Sanders well and provide a nice change-of-pace option with some pass-catching upside. Volume will certainly be a concern early on in Blue's rookie season, but he's not a bad late-round sleeper target for fantasy managers that wait at the position.