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Should I pickup Jaleel McLaughlin or Tyler Badie as fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 13 of 2025? Read our fantasy football waiver wire outlooks.
The Denver Broncos come back from their bye week and face the Washington Commanders on Sunday Night Football this week. The Broncos went into their bye with eight straight wins and are 9-2 on top of the AFC West. They did lose starting running back J.K. Dobbins (foot) to injured reserve just before the bye, and he is likely done for the season.
The Broncos do have rookie running back RJ Harvey, who has flashed a high ceiling, but he also struggled in his first start in Dobbins' place. The Broncos will likely need to at least platoon other options with Harvey going forward after he managed only 30 rushing yards on 11 carries in Week 11. There are two interesting pickups to consider behind Harvey, and either of them could be an important fantasy option going forward.
Should you pick up Jaleel McLaughlin or Tyler Badie ahead of Week 13? Let's dive in.
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Jaleel McLaughlin Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlook
McLaughlin had regularly been a healthy inactive for the Broncos this season, with Dobbins, Harvey, and Badie as the three running backs active on gameday. In Week 11, though, he worked as the secondary running back behind Harvey in the Broncos' first game without Dobbins.
While Harvey led the way with 38 snaps (61% of the team's snaps) and 11 carries, McLaughlin played eight snaps (13% of the team's snaps) and got six carries. He had a better yards per carry average than Harvey and had the team's only rushing touchdown of the day.
A late third quarter lead for Jaleel McLaughlin and the @Broncos
KCvsDEN on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/wyRg4pHpip
— NFL (@NFL) November 16, 2025
McLaughlin also caught his only target for a loss of five yards, meaning that he touched the ball on seven of the eight offensive plays that he was on the field for. While his workload was limited, coach Sean Payton said after the game that "I think looking back at it, [RB] Jaleel [McLaughlin] had a handful of good runs. I think with the flow of a normal game, he’s going to be important for us in this stretch."
After a solid Week 11, McLaughlin seems to have a strong grip on the backup running back spot going into Week 13. He could mix in even more and is a deep-league flex option against the Commanders.
Tyler Badie Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlook
As mentioned above, Badie was ahead of McLaughlin on the depth chart before Dobbins' injury. He played the exact same number of snaps as McLaughlin in Week 11, but he only had one target, which he caught for no gain, and didn't get any carries.
On the season, Badie has only two carries for nine rushing yards, but he has had 11 catches for 87 yards in his 10 games. He had a season-high six targets in Week 1 and double-digit receiving yards in five of his first six games.
Badie seems to have fallen behind McLaughlin for now, though, and it doesn't help his playing time that his strengths as a receiver out of the backfield duplicate Harvey's strengths. The 25-year-old does still have a role, but it doesn't look like it will be as profitable for fantasy in the short term as McLaughlin gets early down work and Harvey does most of the receiving responsibilities.
Should I Pickup Jaleel McLaughlin or Tyler Badie For Fantasy Football?
McLaughlin is definitely the better option of the two Broncos backs based on their recent workload and projections going forward. If you can add him in standard-sized leagues, he can be a touchdown-dependent flex option right away, and there's also potential for his role to grow if Harvey struggles.
The Broncos have a great matchup against the Commanders in Week 13, who have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to running backs this season. In Week 14, they visit the Raiders in another good matchup and then take on the Packers before finishing the fantasy season with tough matchups against the Jaguars and Chiefs.
If you need backfield depth, McLaughlin is definitely the back to target behind Harvey coming out of the bye week.
Should You Add Jaleel McLaughlin in His Growing Role? https://t.co/30fO1zePaO
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) November 18, 2025
Who Should I Pickup Tool
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Who Should I Pickup? Some common 2025 fantasy football waiver wire decisions are regarding players like Jaleel McLaughlin, Jayden Higgins, Devin Neal, Emanuel Wilson, Kenneth Gainwell, Sean Tucker. But not to worry, we are here to help make these waiver wire decisions and build winning teams in 2025. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups in 2025. Our free Who Should I Pickup? tool will help make your fantasy football waiver wire decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to pick up... all free! Make the right decisions.
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Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2025 for Jaleel McLaughlin, Jayden Higgins, Devin Neal, Kenneth Gainwell, Sean Tucker, Emanuel Wilson:
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