Who Should I Start? Keaton Mitchell or Jaleel McLaughlin

Thursday, February 19, 1:12 PM

Twenty-four-year-old Baltimore Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell has shown explosiveness almost every time he's been given an opportunity, but through the first three seasons of his career, those opportunities have been limited to 130 total touches. At only 5-foot-8 and under 200 pounds, durability has already been an early-career concern, but with a lifetime average of 6.3 yards per carry, he still has too much game-breaking talent to move on from. A restricted free agent heading into 2026, he'll likely return to a Ravens running back room with the soon-to-be 32-year-old Derrick Henry and a dedicated pass catcher in Justice Hill, who averaged fewer than two carries per game in 2025. Currently priced outside the top 60 running backs in dynasty startups, Mitchell remains a stash, with new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle coming from a Ben Johnson coaching tree that values explosives.

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.