Javonte Williams vs Jaleel McLaughlin vs Samaje Perine | Who Will Lead the Broncos backfield Moving Forward
The Denver Broncos fell to 1-5 on the season after a 19-8 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night.
While it proved to be a closer game than expected because of the defense’s efforts to hold the Chiefs to field goals, the discussion around which Denver running back might lead the team the rest of this season didn’t get answered in the slightest.
Let’s dive into the numbers and then try to determine how the backfield might shake out going forward.
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The Numbers
Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin and Samaje Perine form the running back trio for the Broncos that’s causing fantasy owners fits.
According to our charts, Williams is owned in 89% of fantasy leagues. He returned from a quad injury and was started in just 25% of leagues last night.
McLaughlin burst onto the scene back in week 4, and is now owned in 78% of leagues. He started in 15% of leagues last night.
Perine came into the season looking like one of the top backups in the league but his owned percentage now dipped down below 60%. He started in roughly 10% of leagues last night.
The Broncos were on the field for just 52 offensive snaps last night. McLaughlin was a part of 21 of those snaps, with Williams at 18 and Perine at just nine.
Williams ended up with the most touches at 10, rushing 10 times for 52 yards. He had a long run of 18 yards.
McLaughlin finished with nine touches. He rushed seven times for 30 yards, with a long run of nine. He caught both of his targets for an additional 12 yards.
Perine did not receive a carry, but caught both of his targets for 16 yards. One of the receptions went for 15 yards.
Running Back Fantasy Outlook
While the contest did not show who might be the team’s lead back going forward, it appears that Perine isn’t going to be all that involved offensively going forward. I don’t think I’d outright drop him yet, unless there’s a really good player available on the waiver wire, but we’re just about to the drop stage.
Even coming back off an injury, Williams got the most carries and was the more effective rusher than McLaughlin. Williams was not even targeted in the passing game, so McLaughlin might be the better back in that regard.
At the end of it all, both Williams and McLaughlin were efficient with their touches, so there’s no reason to think either guy won’t be part of the offensive gameplan going forward. The difficult part now becomes whether Denver’s offense can be good enough to warrant starting either guy, or both.
Who Can You Start Going Forward
The game against the Chiefs lined up as a tough one for the Broncos’ backs, and it proved to be true when all was said and done. Going forward, there’s a mix of tough and easier matchups, and I think that’s how you should determine whether Williams or McLaughlin should be considered as starting options.
Denver’s next game is against the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay’s defense has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing backs, at 28 points a contest. The nearly 107 rushing yards the Packers allow is sixth most coming into week 6, while the 42 receiving yards is the fifth most. Both Williams and McLaughlin would be in the starter conversation for me that week.
The Broncos then face off against the Chiefs again. Seeing what happened last night, and not expecting the same game to break out, I’d be against starting either guy that week, just like I was before the Thursday night game.
Denver’s next game will be against the Buffalo Bills. It’s a favorable matchup, with the Bills’ defense allowing an average of 24 fantasy points a game to backs. The rushing and receiving averages against Buffalo make Williams and McLaughlin start worthy if they continue splitting the workload to that point.
The Broncos next two games are against the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns. Both of those defenses ranked inside the top 10 in slowing opposing backs coming into week 6. Minnesota allows an average of 16 fantasy points, while Cleveland allows 13. The Broncos’ backs shouldn’t start that week.
I’d continue basing the start/sit decision for Williams and McLaughlin off of the strength of the opposing defense. I don’t envision Denver leaning on one guy over the other, especially in a losing season, but we can have that conversation if one does start to function as a true No. 1 back.
