Editor’s Note: Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin (quad) has been ruled out for Week 16 vs. the Chargers.
Coming off their bye week, the Broncos continued to use a RBBC approach in this past Sunday’s 31-13 win over the Colts.
Jaleel McLaughlin ($6,600 for Showdown) led the way with seven carries, including the team’s lone red-zone rush, but he only logged 23.8% of the snaps. As a receiver, McLaughlin saw three targets on eight routes. As for Javonte Williams ($7,600), he saw one less carry than McLaughlin with six rushes and logged 53.9% of the snaps. The veteran also saw three targets on 21 routes.
Per usual, both backs were disappointing fantasy-wise, with McLaughlin and Williams finishing with 6.4 and 4.3 FPTS, respectively.
Given this is the second game in a row that McLaughlin has seen more carries, it appears he has the upper hand when it comes to the ground work for Denver. However, the Broncos clearly view Williams as their primary pass catcher out of the backfield, with him running nearly triple the amount of routes as McLaughlin this past Sunday vs. Indianapolis, which has been the case all season. Overall, Williams has run over 100 more routes than McLaughlin this season.
While neither McLaughlin nor Williams are appealing options, if forced to choose one for Week 16, this Thursday’s meeting with the Chargers better suits Williams and his role as receiver. For this AFC West matchup, Denver is a 2.5-point underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Broncos may be forced to rely on their passing game as underdogs and Los Angeles has been susceptible through the air recently, yielding 7.0 yards per pass in its last three games.
Williams could be active as a pass catcher in this situation, giving him a chance to possibly salvage double-digit FPTS.
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