Who Should I Start? Julius Chestnut or Jaleel McLaughlin

Saturday, October 4, 12:57 AM

Tennessee Titans running back Julius Chestnut could be headed for a reduced workload in Week 5 despite a favorable matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. Chestnut has operated as a backup to Tony Pollard through the first four weeks of the season. While his usage has been relatively modest given that Pollard leads all NFL running backs in snap share, Chestnut has still been his backup and did see the field in every game, logging five total carries. That marginal usage could drop to no usage as soon as Tyjae Spears (ankle) returns to game action. Spears is currently on injured reserve but has been designated to return and is questionable for Week 5. Chestnut's already limited opportunity share would surely disappear entirely as soon as another reliable, proven player like Spears is added to the backfield. If Spears plays Sunday, Chestnut, 24, might not touch the ball. Even if he remains on IR, though, the Sacred Heart product is due for just a couple of touches and remains off the fantasy radar.

Tuesday, December 2, 12:49 PM

For the second straight game in Sunday night's overtime win over the Washington Commanders, Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin served as the team's No. 2 RB with J.K. Dobbins (foot) out for the year. McLaughlin played only 19% of the offensive snaps and had seven total touches for the second straight game. His six rushing attempts (24 yards) were second on the team behind rookie RJ Harvey's 13 carries (35 yards). Harvey wasn't efficient (2.7 yards per tote), but he found the end zone twice. Although McLaughlin's snap count was his highest of the year, he was outsnapped by Harvey, Tyler Badie, and Adam Prentice. Before Denver's Week 12 bye, McLaughlin had six carries for 19 yards and his first touchdown of the year in the Week 11 win over the Chiefs. The 25-year-old's limited usage is likely to continue going into a Week 14 divisional clash with the Raiders, making him only a deep-league stash for RB depth. McLaughlin is currently rostered in only 2% of Yahoo leagues.