The Denver Broncos got their first win of the season, but they suffered another loss in the process. While it’s not a season-ending injury, the Javonte Williams injury opens the door for the Jaleel McLaughlin fantasy football value to skyrocket.
As we put in our fantasy football waiver wire claims for this week, there are a couple of obvious players that everyone should be interested in. Currently, Jaleel McLaughlin tops the fantasy football waiver wire adds for Week 5 of the NFL season.
Javonte Williams Injury Update
With all things considered, the Javonte Williams injury update was positive. It looked like it could have been a serious injury. Then, many of the Twitter “doctors” labeled it a serious groin injury despite the report being something with his hip.
We now know the Javonte Williams injury was to his hip flexor — likely a hip flexor strain. As someone who has had this injury, I can say it is an annoying one that will likely linger. Of course, painkillers will hide much of this annoyance.
Regardless, an injured hip flexor will affect Javonte Williams’ power in the running game. These are the muscles activated when you lift your knee up, so depending on the severity of the injury, it is likely tough for him to lift his leg much right now and drive his knee while he runs.
Will Javonte Williams miss Week 5? That is truly to be determined. While there is a chance Williams could play, we will likely see a workload and performance hit for several weeks, opening the door for Jaleel McLaughlin fantasy football owners.
Jaleel McLaughlin Tops Fantasy Football Waiver Adds
It was an impressive day for the rookie out of Youngstown St. Jaleel McLaughlin totaled 72 yards and seven carries, then added another 32 yards and a touchdown on three receptions. Most importantly, he saw 46% of the rushing attempts and 43% of the route participation following the Javonte Williams injury.
Yes, Samaje Perine saw the majority of the snaps, but that was mostly due to the veteran’s ability in pass protection. Following the game, Sean Payton has glowing reviews of Jaleel McLaughlin and said his role would continue to expand.
Payton has “his guys” to a fault, but it appears McLaughlin is one of them. This means great things for his role going forward. He can be complementary to Williams for the long-term, making Jaleel McLaughlin a great fantasy football waiver add, given the injuries to the RB position.
