Jaleel McLaughlin Week 2 Outlook - Steelers at Broncos

By Derek Brown (FantasyPros), Thu, Sep 12th 2024, 1:05pm EDT

What the surface box score doesn't tell you is that McLaughlin played more on rushing plays and less on passing downs than Javonte Williams in Week 1. McLaughlin had a 50% snap rate on rushing plays (Williams 40%) and a 30% snapshare on passing downs (Williams 55%). Some of that could be related to pass pro because McLaughlin still earned a 42% TPRR and 11.9% target share (five targets) in Week 1. McLaughlin was still effective with the work that he received on early downs, ranking 16th in missed tackles forced per attempt and 17th in yards after contact per attempt (among 40 qualifying backs). Yes, I know you're wondering how I can say this, looking at his box score, but his offensive line only managed 0.20 yards before contact per attempt on his carries. Basically, as soon as he got the ball, a defender was already in his face. It's nearly impossible to expect a back to produce in any offense when that's the case every snap. Overall, McLaughlin played 35% of the snaps with 15 touches and 28 total yards. If Nix can provide decent quarterback play, we could see McLaughlin's numbers improve in Week 2.