Fantasy Football Upside Picks: Jaleel McLaughlin, Rashee Rice, Zamir White

Several factors go into building a winning fantasy football team. One of those factors is identifying players with league-winning upside, especially in the later rounds. To help you create an elite fantasy football roster, I have identified one potential league winner for every NFL team.

Fantasy Football Upside Picks

ADP via Underdog Fantasy

Jaleel McLaughlin (DEN): ADP 152.1 | RB47

Denver’s backfield is a wide-open competition. However, McLaughlin is the only Broncos running back I’m drafting. He impressed as a rookie, averaging 11.8 fantasy points per game and 6.9 yards per rushing attempt in the four contests with at least seven attempts. Furthermore, McLaughlin had the 12th-best explosive run rate among running backs with at least 75 rushing attempts in 2023 (per Fantasy Points Data). Don’t be surprised if Sean Payton views him as his next Alvin Kamara and gives McLaughlin a significant workload, especially in the passing game.

Rashee Rice (KC): ADP 61.3 | WR37

Some expect Rice to get suspended after multiple off-the-field incidents this offseason. Therefore, his ADP could rise or nosedive depending on the length of the suspension. He was outstanding to end his rookie year. Rice was the WR6 from Week 12 through Week 17, averaging 14.9 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. While the Chiefs added Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy, they are downfield threats and should create easier targets for Rice in the middle of the field. He could lead the team in targets per game in 2024.

Zamir White (LV): ADP 87.8 | RB23

White was the RB8, averaging 14.1 half-point PPR fantasy points per game during the four weeks Josh Jacobs missed with an injury last season. He had the fourth-highest yards after contact per rushing attempt (3.06) among running backs with at least 30 attempts during those four weeks, ahead of Christian McCaffrey and Jahmyr Gibbs (per Fantasy Points Data). More importantly, White had 20 or more touches in every contest, totaling 100 or more scrimmage yards in all but one game. He is one of my must-have running back draft targets.