Jaleel McLaughlin

Jaleel McLaughlin

24-Year-Old Running BackRB
Denver Broncos
2025 Fantasy Outlook
McLaughlin has occasionally been compared to Darren Sproles, but that's unfair to both players. Sproles is one of the most notable athletes in NFL history, while McLaughlin would sooner categorize as a fairly unremarkable athlete by NFL running back standards. More specifically, at around 5-foot-8, 190 pounds with roughly 4.5 speed McLaughlin is not nearly as powerful or fast as Sproles was. McLaughlin's relative lack of size-adjusted athleticism likely limits his application from scrimmage, because a player with McLaughlin's modest physical tools risks overexposure the more you use them. It's one thing to catch a defense by surprise with a well-timed change of pace - and in that capacity McLaughlin is excellent - but it's another thing to wear out a novelty by overusing it. With the second-round selection of RJ Harvey, the Broncos will likely restrict McLaughlin to an RB3-type role that suits his selective applications. McLaughlin's rushing average (5.4 to 4.4) and yards-per-target figures (4.4 to 2.8) both fell from 2023 to 2024, indicating that his increased 2024 playing time resulted in overexposure. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
#461.41
ADP
Signed a three-year, $2.71 million contract with the Broncos in May of 2023.
Healthy scratch Week 1
RBDenver Broncos
Coach's Decision
September 7, 2025
McLaughlin (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Titans, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.
ANALYSIS
The Broncos will go with a three-man backfield of J.K. Dobbins, RJ Harvey and Tyler Badie, which means McLaughlin will observe Sunday's regular-season opener in street clothes. McLaughlin's next opportunity to play is Week 2 against the Colts on Sunday, Sept. 14, though he's unlikely to see any playing time -- if any -- unless there's an injury in the Broncos' backfield.
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NFL Stats
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
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2025 NFL Game Log
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2023
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2024 NFL Game Log
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2023 NFL Game Log
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Denver BroncosBroncos 2025 RB Snap Distribution
#% of Team Snaps

3752%
2231%
1217%
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Receiving Alignment Breakdown
See where Jaleel McLaughlin lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.
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This Week's Opposing Pass Defense
How does the Colts pass defense compare to other NFL teams this season?
The bars represents the team's percentile rank (based on QB Rating Against). The longer the bar, the better their pass defense is. The team and position group ratings only include players that are currently on the roster and not on injured reserve. The list of players in the table only includes defenders with at least 3 attempts against them.
IND
@ Colts
Sunday, Sep 14th at 4:05PM
Overall QB Rating Against
40.7
 
Cornerbacks
65.7
 
Safeties
0.0
 
Linebackers
93.1
 
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2025 Jaleel McLaughlin Split Stats
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Jaleel McLaughlin See More
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Jaleel McLaughlin See More
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
McLaughlin came in as an undrafted rookie last year and immediately proved to be a good bullpen running back, providing the Broncos with explosiveness as a runner (5.4 YPC) and reliability as a pass catcher (31 receptions on 36 targets). The problem is that the former Youngstown State standout is undersized (5-7, 187) and doesn't quite have the type of elite speed that might allow him to get away with it and take on large workloads anyway. He's more likely to tantalize with a few big plays on something like a 15-to-20-snap workload, unlikely to scale much higher than that. McLaughlin does at least have a chance to claim more of the passing-down work this year, following Samaje Perine's release in late August.
McLaughlin, an undrafted rookie from Youngstown State, impressed during training camp with both his play and his dedication to learning the offense. McLaughlin has a solid chance to move up the depth chart behind Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine. It's important to note McLaughlin was also used as a returner, running a kickoff back 44 yards in the contest. The Youngstown State product could therefore also carve out a role on special teams, helping him to secure a roster spot ahead of the 2023 campaign
More Fantasy News
Game-long run in preseason win
RBDenver Broncos
August 16, 2025
McLaughlin rushed three times for 48 yards in the Broncos' 27-7 preseason win over the Cardinals on Saturday night.
ANALYSIS
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Four touches in preseason opener
RBDenver Broncos
August 10, 2025
McLaughlin rushed three times for five yards and caught his lone target for five yards in Saturday's 30-9 preseason win over the 49ers.
ANALYSIS
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Facing competition from Harvey
RBDenver Broncos
April 28, 2025
McLaughlin has new competition for snaps after Denver used the 60th overall pick on RB RJ Harvey in the 2025 Draft.
ANALYSIS
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Nonfactor against Bills
RBDenver Broncos
January 14, 2025
McLaughlin rushed twice for minus-two yards and secured his lone target for zero yards in Sunday's 31-7 wild-card loss to the Bills.
ANALYSIS
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Remains leader of backfield
RBDenver Broncos
January 5, 2025
McLaughlin recorded 16 rushes for 39 yards in Sunday's 38-0 win over the Chiefs. He added two receptions on two targets for nine yards.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Down to fourth on depth chart?
RBDenver Broncos
June 12, 2025
McLaughlin's role in 2025 is likely to shrink, as Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports that the Broncos agreed to terms Tuesday on a one-year, $5.25 million contract with J.K. Dobbins.
ANALYSIS
Dobbins and rookie second-round pick R.J. Harvey are likely to occupy the top two spots on the depth chart, leaving Audric Estime and McLaughlin to compete for depth roles, with the possibility that one of the latter two is left off the roster entirely. McLaughlin had 107 touches as a rookie in 2023 and 137 touches over 16 regular-season games in 2024, but his workload looks likely to drop in 2025 given Denver's crowded backfield.
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