Who Should I Start? Javonte Williams or Jaleel McLaughlin

Friday, December 20, 12:27 AM

Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams certainly had a bigger role in the offense with Jaleel McLaughlin (quadriceps) out in the Thursday night loss to the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers, but not in the way that many would have predicted. Williams took a back seat to rookie Audric Estime on the ground in the 34-27 loss with only four carries for 24 yards (6.0 yards per tote), but he surprisingly led the team in targets (11), securing a team-high and season-high seven catches for 29 yards through the air. Rookie QB Bo Nix was content to check it down most of the night, with Williams benefitting. The 24-year-old came into Thursday's game with a disappointing 3.5 yard-per-carry average on the ground, although he was much more efficient on limited touches against LA. It's unlikely he'll be this involved in the passing game again, but if McLaughlin misses another game, Williams will have RB3/flex appeal in a plus matchup against Cincinnati in Week 17.

Wednesday, December 18, 4:42 PM

Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin (quadriceps) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers. McLaughlin opened the week as a non-participate but was able to upgrade to a limited participant on Tuesday. However, he was downgraded on Thursday and will set his sights on returning in Week 17 to face the Cincinnati Bengals. The 24-year-old left last weekend's game early with this injury. Before departing, McLaughlin tallied 21 yards on seven attempts. McLaughlin has struggled to find consistent attempts in the offense but has flashed some upside when given work, as he has averaged 5.3 yards per carry over his past four games. With McLaughlin ruled out, fantasy managers should expect Javonte Williams to see a majority of the opportunities out of the backfield.