JaleelMcLaughlin

News: 4 days agoMcLaughlin rushed three times for 48 yards in the Broncos' 27-7 preseason win over the Cardinals on Saturday night.

Spin: McLaughlin led the Broncos in rushing thanks to his game-long 35-yard run, which he recorded on his second carry upon entering the game after RJ Harvey and Tyler Badie. McLaughlin has served as an effective complementary option for his first two seasons, and as he demonstrated Saturday, his home-run ability may give him the inside track to the No. 3 running back job again going into the 2025 campaign.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: McLaughlin is entering his third NFL season, having primarily played a rotational role during his first two seasons in Denver. The 2023 UDFA reached a career high with 137 touches in 2024, but he's yet to play more than 42% of the snaps in a single game. That's no surprise and unlikely to change considering his 5-foot-8, 187-pound frame. Denver did take a look at him in an expanded role during his final four games of 2024 (10-plus touches in all four, including a career-high 18 in Week 18), but he failed to reach double-digit fantasy points in any of them, nor did he clear 12.6 points in any of his 16 games last season. The 24-year-old has some juice, but he's likely to remain a depth back behind newcomers J.K. Dobbins and RJ Henry and has minimal fantasy value.