• Jaleel McLaughlin was excellent on a per-play basis: Last season, McLaughlin earned the sixth-highest grade at the position. He and Christian McCaffrey were the only running backs to play more than 150 snaps and earn an 82.0-plus rushing grade and an 82.0-plus receiving grade.
• McLaughlin has a coach with a history of short running backs: Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton turned Darren Sproles into a fantasy star despite his 5-foot-6 height. McLaughlin, who is 5-foot-7, has a similar potential under Payton's guidance.
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Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
The fantasy football player profile series gives the most in-depth view of a player using the best data points at PFF’s disposal. We will look at how well the player has performed, the player's competition for touches and how teammates and coaches will impact the player's performance.
Last updated: 5:00 a.m. Friday, Aug. 2
Player Performance
McLaughlin was an undrafted rookie for the Broncos last season but earned a roster spot over veterans like Tony Jones Jr. and Dwayne Washington.
With Javonte Williams dealing with an early-season injury, McLaughlin had the opportunity to take on a larger role. In Weeks 4 and 5, he ran 16 times for 140 yards and caught six passes for 53 yards and two touchdowns. He maintained an impressive average of over 8.0 yards per carry in Weeks 7 and 8, but his role was reduced after running six times for just 8 yards in Week 10. He played single-digit snaps in four of the next five games, but his role increased again late in the season.
This led to poor cumulative stats because he recorded only 76 carries, but his efficiency numbers were very good, and he performed excellently in most running situations. As a receiver, his cumulative numbers were also low, but he was also very efficient.
McLaughlin is listed as 5-foot-7 and 187 pounds. In the PFF era (since 2006), the only other running backs listed as 5-foot-7 or shorter and 190 pounds or lighter to have played over 100 snaps in a season are Darren Sproles, Tarik Cohen, and LaRod Stephens-Howling.
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