Who Should I Start? Jaleel McLaughlin or Ray Davis

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.

Sunday, January 4, 8:37 PM

Buffalo Bills running back Ray Davis rushed for 151 yards on 21 carries during Sunday's Week 18 win over the New York Jets. He also caught each of his two targets for an additional 23 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. Davis handled the lead-back role with James Cook resting for most of the game and Ty Johnson remaining the backup option. The 26-year-old had his best game since (ironically) Week 18 of last season, when Buffalo was in a similar situation and rested its starters. While Davis will continue to offer a change of pace going forward, Cook will be the workhorse throughout the duration of the playoffs, starting with next weekend's Wild Card game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.