Team Previews - Denver Broncos

Projected Starting Lineup

QB: Case Keenum RB: Royce Freeman WR: Demaryius Thomas WR: Emmanuel Sanders WR: Courtland Sutton TE: Jeff Heuerman

LT: Garett Bolles LG: Ronald Leary C: Matt Paradis RG: Connor McGovern RT: Jared Veldheer

Broncos 2016-2017 Offensive Profile

2016-2017 Pass Attempts Rank: 17th, 12th 2016-2017 Rush Attempts Rank: 15th, 8th 2016-2017 Play Volume Rank: 26th, 2nd 2016-2017 Yards Per Play Rank: 26th, 28th Unaccounted for Air Yards from 2017: 1,147 (13th) Unaccounted for Carries from 2017: 359 (1st)

Bill Musgrave's average offensive production as an Offensive Coordinator in the NFL. (3 Seasons)

Passing: ATT COMP PCT YDS AVG YDS/G LONG TD TD% INT INT% SACK YDSL RATE

589 361 61.3 3978 6.7 235 66 27 4.6 14 2.5 34 224 86

Rushing: ATT YDS AVG LONG 20+ TD YDS/G FUM FUML 1DN

420 1744 4.13 56 12 11 109 6 3 88

Receiving: REC TAR YDS AVG TD LONG 20+ YDS/G FUM FUML YAC 1DN

361 589 3978 11 27 66 53 249 4 1 1793 190

Quarterback-

The Broncos made a wise decision passing on Josh Allen and Josh Rosen in draft this past year. Having failed on multiple occasions in recent drafts selecting quarterbacks in the first two rounds (Tebow, Osweiler, Lynch) they went out and signed Case Keenum. Entering his sixth NFL season Keenum is coming off of his best year in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings. Kennum lead the Vikings to an 11-3 record with solid play while staying within himself and not forcing the issue. Keenum finished the season completing 67.6% of his passes for 3,547 adding 22 touchdowns, throwing only 7 interceptions. The Broncos have weapons on offense with Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, and talented rookies Courtland Sutton and Royce Freeman. While Keenum is not on the draft radar in fantasy, he should provide solid enough quarterback play for this offense to put up points and be much more competitive.

Wide Receiver-

It is hard to believe that Demaryius Thomas is 30 years old, as it seems like yesterday he was shattering records with Peyton Manning. His production has been on a steady decline since 2015, as he fell short to reach 1,000 yards for the first time since 2011. The Broncos also seem concerned, as they drafted Courtland Sutton with the 40th overall pick in the draft. While Thomas is on the decline, he should see an uptick in his production from last year with a much better situation at quarterback. It was no secret that the Broncos had absolutely no chance offensively with Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemian. It is still an unknown who Keenum will favor more between Thomas and Sanders but both should see north of 100 targets this season. With a current ADP of 48, I will be looking at other receivers with more upside, but think he can be a solid WR2/3 this season.

Not surprising, Emmanuel Sanders also struggled last season with Lynch and Siemian under center. With Thomas and rookie Courtland Sutton on the outside, Sanders should be able thrive in the slot which he is much better suited for. I think the best valued Bronco in the draft will be Sanders as his current ADP is 88, and there is a good chance he leads the Broncos in receiving. Last year Keenum's go-to receiver in Minnesota was Adam Thielen, who ran over half of his routes in the slot and was targeted on 25% of his slot routes, which was the highest percentage in the league. With the 40th overall pick the Broncos selected Courtland Sutton. At 6'3/218 Sutton posses the elite ball skills and size to play on the opposite side of Demaryius Thomas. While he will not see the amount of volume needed to become a starting wide receiver for your fantasy team, he has tremendous upside and should be selected high in Dynasty drafts. The Broncos were not finished in the draft at wide receiver, as they took DaeSean Hamilton in the 4th round. The wide receiver out of Penn State set a school record for receptions (214) and should figure to add depth in the slot. The only way for Hamilton to have fantasy value this season will be if Sanders goes down with an injury, he would take over the slot duties for the Broncos.

Tight End-

The Broncos are still searching for a tight end to fill the void that Julius Thomas left in 2014. The competition will come down to two Big-Ten tight ends in Jeff Heuerman and Jake Butt. This should not be much of a competition, as Butt caught 138 balls and 11 touchdowns in his four years at Michigan to go along with winning the John Mackey Award for best tight-end. I love Butt's upside as a player and think that he can be a great security blanket for Keenum, who looks often to the middle of the field when his team needs a play. Running Back- With the departure of C.J. Andersons, his 245+ carries will need to be accounted for and it looks as though rookie Royce Freeman will be the beneficiary. Elway made it clear with his remarks that he envisioned Freeman as the primary ballcarrier. At 6'0/229 Freeman was the lead back at Oregon, he tallied 5,621 rushing yards with 64 touchdowns which are both school records. While Freeman can catch the ball (79) in his career at Oregon, Bill Musgrave typically does not throw it to his backs often in his offensive attacks. It would be unlikely that Freeman saw more than 40 catches, but he should still get around 30 this season. With his current ADP of 76, I will be a major buyer in Freeman as he should finish the season as a solid RB2/3. At the moment Devontae Booker is listed as the starter with Freeman quickly closing the gap.

In a backup role to Anderson last year Booker had 79 carries for 299 yards (3.8 YPC). He currently is the best pass-blocker on the roster and will most likely handle third down duties as Freeman adjusts to the NFL game. Booker should be a late-round flyer as it is no guarantee that Freeman runs with this job. 2018 Vegas Win Total The Broncos’ Win Total opened at 7. If they could have had just decent quarterback play last season they would have easily won over 9 games, instead they finished 5-11.The defense should again be one of the best in the league and with improved play at quarterback things are looking up for the Broncos. They catch a break in having to play the AFC North but will face the improving NFC West. I think this Broncos team should eclipse the 7 win margin and I will be placing a wager on them to do so as they should compete to win the division.