Who Should I Start? Jerome Ford or Jaleel McLaughlin

Friday, December 20, 5:43 PM

Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford found the end zone on a 62-yard rush in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15. He will take over as the Browns' starting running back after Nick Chubb (foot) was lost for the remainder of the season with a broken foot. Ford will take on a Cincinnati defense that is allowing the 17th-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs. With the Browns slated to give quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson his first start of the season, there's a chance they could lean on the run a bit more than usual against the Bengals. That, plus his ability in the passing game, puts Ford in play as a solid RB2 in fantasy heading into Week 16.

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.