Denver Broncos 2020 Fantasy Football Preview
Buying into players in an elite offense is as good as fantasy gold. Currently there are only a few elite offenses in the NFL. However, we could have a new one forming in Denver in 2020.
O-Line Matters
An elite offense starts with a solid offensive line. We’ve seen the Cowboys, Saints, and the Steelers build a devastating crew in the trenches and this years’ Denver Broncos have that same make-up. PFF has the Denver O-Line ranked as the 14th best offensive line in the league for 2020. GM John Elway has put together a very imposing lineup the past few seasons. Elway opened up the pocketbook the past two offseasons, signing Graham Glasgow (4yr/$44M) and Ja’Wuan James (4yr/$51M) to big-money contracts, as well as selecting Lloyd Cushenberry, the Center from LSU, to anchor the offensive in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft. Those three, paired with veterans Garrett Bolles and Ronald Leary, will look to open up holes in the running game and give second-year QB Drew Lock some time in the pocket.
See Where The Broncos Land In Our 2020 Offensive Line Rankings
The Broncos hired former Giants Head Coach Pat Shurmur as their offensive coordinator back in January. Shurmur has over two decades of experience running an NFL offense with stints in Philly, Cleveland, St. Louis, and Minnesota. He is called by some, a “QB Whisperer”. That should be good news for Lock owners. Shurmur was the QB coach in Philly with Andy Reid while Donovan McNabb was under center, so he has a history of leading high-flying offenses. He also helped Daniel Jones progress into a fantasy-relevant QB in 2019 (minus the fumbles). Shurmur will be working with a more talented and well-rounded crew than he had in New York. He will have plenty of weapons at his disposal in Denver.
Running Backs Matter, Too
The Broncos have a few shiny, new fantasy football relevant toys on offense in 2020. Despite the recent success of undrafted RB Phillip Lindsay, the Broncos brought in Melvin Gordon to compete for carries. Gordon has spent the previous four seasons with the division rival Chargers. Although Gordon has struggled with efficiency on a yards per touch basis (career 4.8 YPT), he has a knack for finding the end-zone with 47 total TDs. Lindsay has been one of the most electrifying runners in football the past two years. He is the first undrafted rookie to have back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.
Some fantasy gamers may be discouraged by the signing of Gordon, but we have seen multiple backs in the same offense hold fantasy value before. Lindsay profiles more as a change-of-pace or receiving back in today’s NFL. Lindsay has managed 70 catches total in his two seasons in Denver and has proved to be capable on passing downs. Expect Gordon and Lindsay to eat up the lion’s share of the touches out of the backfield. Royce Freeman is on the outside looking in for the time being.
See Where The Broncos RBs Land In Our 2020 Fantasy Football Rankings!
John Elway has been criticized in the past for his unsuccessful attempts to find a franchise quarterback. He is doing everything he can to surround Lock with ridiculous amounts of talent to avoid another failed project. Denver drafted wideouts Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler to add to the WR corps. They also added rookie TE Albert Okwuegbunam to compete at TE behind Noah Fant. Jeudy and Hamler join Pro Bowler Courtland Sutton and a myriad of other young WRs.
For Sutton (as well as Drew Lock), this is welcomed and wonderful news. In 2019, Sutton finished with 72-1112-6 on 126 targets. His splits with and without Emmanuel Sanders may surprise you. Sutton had better production and volume when Manny Sanders was still on the roster. In seven games with Sanders, Sutton managed 36-564-3 on 56 targets. In nine games after the trade, Sutton had 36-548-3 on 70 targets. Sutton benefitted from a true WR2 to pull away double coverage and Jeudy is a more than a capable replacement.
A Breakout On The Horizon?
My favorite of all of the Broncos offensive pieces is second-year TE Noah Fant. Any time a rookie TE flashes big-play potential, I get excited. Fant is one of very few players at his position who can take it 75 yards to the house. Fant showed that ability Week 9 against the Browns when he broke multiple tackles and galloped down the left sideline for the long touchdown. Fant’s workout metrics on playerprofiler.com are something out of a video game. He looks like he was built in a lab. Fant was No.2 at the position in yards per route run and seventh in yards after the catch in 2019. The only knock on his production last year was his red-zone utilization. He only managed one catch inside the 20. With his athleticism and size, look for that number to jump up in 2020 and beyond.
ADP
Redraft (FantasyPros.com) and Dynasty (DLF) ADP:
Lock: QB24 and QB17
Gordon: RB19 and RB24
Lindsay: RB38 and RB43 (!!!)
Sutton: WR18 and WR17
Jeudy: WR41 and WR22
Fant: TE13 and TE9
Hopefully, some of the points I have highlighted above have you as excited about the Broncos offense as I am. I own just about every piece of this offense in various leagues. I recommend you do the same no matter your league’s formatting.
