Fantasy Football AFC West Team Preview: Denver Broncos
Fantasy Football AFC West Team Preview Denver Broncos
Welcome back for another Fantasy Football AFC West Team Preview! Today, we will focus our attention on the Denver Broncos. Hope everyone has their oxygen masks, as we head one mile up to Mile High Stadium.
We at FantasyCPR are here to provide you a comprehensive look at the depth of each NFL Team from the perspective of fantasy football manager. As earlier stated, we can take a look at John Elway‘s Denver Broncos. Second year coach Vance Joseph will lead the team as the head coach as the Broncos seek to regain form and take over the AFC West.
Major changes have transpired during the offseason, with a few great offensive and defensive additions through free agency and the draft. We’ll get into those later though! Denver finished at the low-end of the totem pole last year, while playing .500 football at home (4-4) and struggling on the road (1-7).
A change at quarterback, and an influx of potential impact draft picks could flip the switch and Denver and make them relevant again immediately. Case Keenum proved he can be an effective NFL quarterback when he took over in Minnesota. We’ll see what a change in scenery does for him. I always remember him dominating opponents in college while playing with Houston. When given the full opportunity, he started to show the skills he possesses.
An important draft for Denver this year they picked what is thought to be the top defensive player in the draft, Bradley Chubb. They also took a tall receiver out of SMU in Courtland Sutton. Pair Chubb and Von Miller together and they could wreak havoc for opponents. Getting excited thinking about the Broncos new weapons already, so let’s get this show on the road!
Fantasy Football AFC West Team Preview: Quarterback
Keenum had an unbelievable college career at the University of Houston as a two-time C-USA MVP. He is far and away the all-time leader in yards and passing touchdowns with a hefty 19,217 yards and 155 touchdowns. He’s not known to be overly athletic, but he is top-10 all time with the Cougars in rushing touchdowns with 23. Granted, he did take the Van Wilder route and spent five years in college.
Transitioning to the NFL was another story. He is what many will call a late bloomer under the lights. Keenum had the disadvantage of being one of those elderly draft picks where for whatever reason, 24 is old. However, when trying to build a dynasty, you generally would like a younger option with more potential years in the NFL.
Now 30 years old and having spent time with four different teams since 2012 and joining his fifth for 2018, Keenum has the opportunity to start fresh. He carried the Vikings most of last season after Sam Bradford went down with an injury and they never looked back. He helped them to an 11-3 record with 3,547 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.
Lynch for now looks a bit like a bust after being picked 26th overall in 2016. However, it still seems too early to really call him a bust as he has not been given much of an opportunity. It did not bode well though that he lost the battle for the starting job with 2015, 7th rounder Trevor Siemian.
He is an imposing quarterback standing at 6’7” and 244 LBS. He should have no trouble seeing over offensive and defensive lineman, but was such a raw talent coming out of college. He is still only 24 right now, and a work in progress. They could be grooming him for the future, and either use him as their quarterback a few years down the road, or Garoppolo him out-of-town.
Fantasy Football AFC West Team Preview: Running Back
Royce Freeman
Freeman is one of the rookie running backs who may have fallen into a perfect system. The Broncos in recent years have leaned more towards airing it out, but C.J. Anderson established himself as the only reliable option in recent years. Now that he’s out-of-town, the door is open for the rookie workhorse our of Oregon.
The third round pick has not openly won the starting job yet, but it seems likely with the other options behind him. He is a well-built bulldozer at 229 LBS and is the Oregon Ducks all-time leading rusher.
Booker showed flashes in his rookie year with 629 yards and four touchdowns while also catching 31 passes and adding a receiving touchdown. His second season was not as promising though as he was far less involved decreasing touches by 82.
The addition of Freeman doesn’t help Booker’s case for a starting job. He will likely battle others for a back-up role this season. However, with a rookie as the most likely candidate to start, it could be wise to still consider Booker in deeper drafts as a handcuff option.
The Coastal Carolina product, Henderson is an interesting player to watch this year. According to Sayre Bedinger of Predominantlyorange.com, Henderson has great lateral quickness and sported the nickname “Hop” during his time in college. We will see if his small 5’7” frame can hold up in the NFL.
Fantasy Football AFC West Team Preview: Wide Receiver
Thomas has been Denver’s most consistent receiver and it shows in the numbers. in 2017, he finished with 83 receptions, 949 yards, and five touchdowns. This was actually a down year for Demaryius. Five consecutive seasons prior, he finished with 90+ receptions and 1,000+ yards with double-digit touchdowns in 2012 ,2013 and 2014.
The Broncos quarterback play has been noticeably weaker in the past few seasons, which was the likely scenario with Peyton Manning retiring. If Case Keenum can stay hot, there is no reason to think Thomas will regress, in fact, this could be an opportunity for him to reach the century mark once again in receptions.
Sanders has been a very solid receiver since joining the Broncos in 2014. He missed four games last season which is why his numbers slid in 2017. He may not have reached the mid-70’s in receptions but when healthy, he can continue to go 60+ receptions and close to 1,000 yards with a few touchdowns sprinkled in.
Similar to Demaryius Thomas, Sanders and the whole receiving core should see more consistent quarterback play with Keenum under center. He was able to use both incorporate both Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs without a problem. It is not crazy to assume that both Thomas and Sanders could see their numbers rise in 2018.
Courtland Sutton
One of the main concerns for Thomas and Sanders’ production is the addition of Courtland Sutton. For much of the college season, Sutton was thought of to be one of, if not the best receivers in this years draft class. Although he has the body type of imposing receiver, he lacks top-end speed and route-running skills.
He could flip the script though and turn into a productive receiver if given the opportunity. NFL.com described him as a “basketball-type big man” meaning he should get plenty of looks in the red zone with his 35.5″ vertical.
DaeSean Hamilton
Another rookie wide receiver with some serious upside is DaeSean Hamilton. It is rare to see these days from a taller receiver, but Hamilton spent a lot of time in the slot for Penn State. He earned second-team all Big-Ten honors his senior year with 53 receptions, 857 yards and nine touchdowns.
Fantasy Football AFC West Team Preview: Tight End, Kicker, D/ST
Jake Butt/Jeff Heurman
If you remember Case Keenum‘s season, he relied heavily on his tight end, Kyle Rudolph. It would be no surprise if he does the same here in Denver. But it could be a battle between Jake Butt and Jeff Heurman for receptions. Butt was a high risk, high reward pick out of Michigan a few years back coming off a gruesome ACL injury in his final game.
Heurman on the other hand, did not show much last year in his 14 games with only 18 targets. If the knee for Butt really is no concern, I like his odds of winning the starting spot after a very successful college career
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Troy Fumagalli
Although I am not a fan of Wisconsin, the 9-finger wonder turned into one of my favorite players in college football. Missing his left index finger, he was likely told that he wouldn’t be able to cut it in high school, college, or the NFL. But Fumagalli has proven doubters wrong and been successful at every level he’s played.
It remains to be seen how much time he will see right away with the Broncos. But he showed at Wisconsin that nothing will hold him back.
Much like Coors Field, the thin Colorado air is noted when looking at kickers. The ball can carry further than at other fields, thus giving the kicker a better opportunity to hit those 50+ yarders if they’re accurate enough.
D/ST
According to Fantasypros.com, the Broncos should be a top-10 defense this season. As we talked about previously, the addition of Bradley Chubb should be a devastating feeling for opposing offenses. Pair him with stud outside linebacker Von Miller, and we could see tons of sacks, fumbles, and quarterbacks rushing throws to avoid getting hit.
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