In support of: American Heart Association
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer worldwide, and stroke ranks second globally. Even when those conditions don’t result in death, they cause disability and diminish quality of life. We want to see a world free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.
Our size and scope let us have real impact. The AHA has invested more than $4.6 billion in research, making us the largest not-for-profit funding source for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease research next to the federal government.
Nominated by Steven Perkins (@FlavorizeThis)
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2020 Recap
Division: AFC West
2020 Finish: 5-11 (4th in AFC West)
2020 Tendencies:
- Passing Ratio: 56% (21st)
- Neutral Game Script: 54% (26th)
- Offensive Scheme: West Coast
Personnel Groupings:
- 11 Personnel (1RB, 1TE, 3WR) = 66%
- 12 Personnel (1RB, 2TE, 2WR) = 22%
- 21 Personnel (2RB, 1TE, 2WR) = 4%
- 13 Personnel (1RB, 3TE, 1WR) = 4%
- 22 Personnel (2RB, 2TE, 1WR) = 3%
- 23 Personnel (2RB, 3TE, 0WR) = 1%
Coaching Room
Head Coach: Vic Fangio
Vic Fangio started his coaching career in 1979 at Dunmore High School in Pennsylvania. He spent four years at the HS level before going to North Carolina as a Graduate Assistant (1983) and then moving on to the Philadelphia Stars (1984-85) of the USFL as a defensive assistant. He entered the NFL ranks with the New Orleans Saints (1986-94) where he was a linebacker coach for nine years. In 1995 he got his first defensive coordinator opportunity with the Carolina Panthers and has 20 years of experience as a DC that also includes stints with the Colts, Texans, 49ers, and Bears before finally getting his first head coaching job with the Denver Broncos. Fangio has had some success leading defenses in the NFL and has ranked highly in several categories such as total yards allowed (top-five eight times) and fewest points allowed (top-five seven times). The Broncos faced multiple injuries in 2020 to key players like A.J. Bouye, Von Miller, and Courtland Sutton but if they can stay healthy in 2021, they have a chance to compete for a wild card berth in the 2021 playoffs.
Offensive Coordinator: Pat Shurmur
Pat Shurmur and Vic Fangio have a combined 55 years of coaching experience. Shurmur has spend the last 11 years as a head coach and offensive coordinator. He has also spent four years in the NFL as a head coach splitting time between the New York Giants (2018-2019) and the Cleveland Browns (2011-12). He was also an interim head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015. His career record as a head coach is 19-46 and he’s never won more than five games in a single season. As an offensive coordinator last year in Denver his offense was ranked 28th in total offense, 28th in pass efficiency, and 18th in rush efficiency. With the decision to start Teddy Bridgewater over Drew Lock, I just don’t see a scenario where this team can score enough points to make a playoff push and be relevant in the latter parts of the season.
Overall Rank: 26th/32
OL Room
LT Garett Bolles – PFF 90.6, Pass Blocking 88.7, Run Blocking 87.1
Garett Bolles absolutely dominated in 2020 ranking 3rd in overall PFF grade, 2nd in pass blocking, and 4th in run blocking. Bolles is providing quite the return on investment for the Broncos who selected him 20th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. He is considered one of the best left tackles in the NFL and has started every game since coming into the league. One of the biggest misses for Pro Bowl selections in 2020 was the omission of Bolles, but I’m sure he will carry that as a motivator for the 2021 season. Despite the snub to the Pro Bowl he was a second-team ALL-Pro in 2020.
LG Dalton Risner – PFF 61.3, Pass Blocking 69.6, Run Blocking 53.7
Dalton Risner is entering his third year in the NFL after being selected in the 2nd round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He was one of the best offensive linemen ever graded by PFF coming out college where he was a four-year starter at Kansas State and has successfully transitioned from right tackle to left guard in the NFL. Expectations are high heading into to 2021 and the left side of the line is the strength for the Broncos.
C Quinn Meinerz (Rookie)
Quinn Meinerz comes to the NFL out of Division III powerhouse Wisconsin-Whitewater and was drafted 98th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. Meinerz did not play in 2020 due to COVID-19 causing the Warhawks to cancel their season all together. You might remember him as a media favorite at the Senior Bowl for his “let the belly breathe” comments when asked about why he let’s his belly hangout during workouts. He dominated at the Senior Bowl and will look to make a big impact in 2021.
RG Graham Glasgow – PFF 68.5, Pass Blocking 65.8, Run Blocking 68.8
Graham Glasgow finished the 2020 season ranked 20th in overall PFF grade out of 80 guards graded. This is a dip from his production over the last three years where his average overall grade was a 71.9. He grades as a middle of the pack interior lineman in the NFL and looks to provide more consistency in 2021.
RT Bobby Massie – PFF 72.6, Pass Blocking 70.8, Run Blocking 64.7
Bobby Massie will replace Ja’Wuan James who opted out in 2020 and was released after tearing his Achilles during off season workouts. He has started every game he’s played in since 2014 but has missed 14 games in the last two years. He missed six games in 2019 due to an ankle injury and another eight games in 2020 due to a knee injury.
New Toys: N/A
Old News: Demar Dotson (8/8), Elijah Wilkinson (9/7)
Overall Rank: 19th/32
QB Room
Teddy Bridgewater (QB31)
Teddy Bridgewater has been named the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos to start the 2021 NFL season. To steal a line from a good friend of mine, “Taking mediocrity over potential greatness certainly is a move.” I did not see this one coming. I do not think this is a case of Teddy B winning the job outright. I think this decision has more to do with Drew Lock not doing enough to keep the job. This decision is an indicator the Broncos are ready to move on from Drew Lock. This changes things from an offensive perspective in my opinion. The Broncos have chosen to go with a quarterback that has a 3.4% TD Rate over his career including a 3.0% TD Rate in 2021. That means that even with DJ Moore, Robby Anderson, and Curtis Samuel in Carolina last season, he only threw 15 touchdowns in 492 attempts across 15 games played. That is only 1 touchdown pass per game which is simple math over a 17-game schedule. The Broncos will rely on a very good defense to flip field position and create turnovers to put the offense in positive situations where Teddy can simply manage the game and limit mistakes. This could have a positive impact for Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler, and Noah Fant in the passing game in terms of targets, but they will have to be great after the catch to create explosive plays. This is also good for Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon because this means more rushing attempts and opportunities in the red zone should they ever get there. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised coming from an organization that drafted Paxton Lynch, Brock Osweiler, and Tim Tebow. I don’t see any scenario where this team can make a playoff push and/or win games when trailing by more.
Fantasy Outlook
Passing: 536 attempts, 66.0%, 4218 yards, 22 touchdowns
Rushing: 57 attempts, 291 yards, 1 touchdown
Total Fantasy Points: 267.8
New Toys: Teddy Bridgewater
Old News: Jeff Driskel (3/1)
Fantasy Position Rank: 32nd/32
RB Room
Javonte Williams (RB25)
The Broncos believed enough in Javonte Williams that they traded up to the 35th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to get their guy. He will compete with Melvin Gordon III to be the opening day starter in Denver. Even if the Broncos choose to start Gordon, I expect Javonte Williams to lead this backfield in touches, yards, and touchdowns when the season is over. That is not a knock on Gordon, I just believe that Williams is the future of the franchise at the running back position. In his junior year at North Carolina, Williams had 1,445 scrimmage yards and 22 touchdowns. He shows great contact balance, agility, and a knack for finding the endzone.
Fantasy Outlook
Rushing: 228 attempts, 1004 yards, 8 touchdowns
Receiving: 48 targets, 34 receptions, 213 yards, 0 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 203.4
Melvin Gordon III (RB44)
Melvin Gordon finished in the top 12 in rushing yards (986), carries (215), breakaway runs (9), evaded tackles (59) and touchdowns (10) among all running backs in 2020. He has also been selected to two Pro Bowls during his six-year career in 2016 and 2018. On the flip side, he’s only reached 1,000 yards rushing once in his career (2017) and averaged less than four yards per carry in four out of six seasons. He will now have to compete with Javonte Williams for the lead role in Denver, but the veteran has stated he’s willing to do whatever it takes to help the team and will gladly mentor Williams to help him get caught up to speed on the playbook and the NFL game.
Fantasy Outlook
Rushing: 138 attempts, 565 yards, 5 touchdowns
Receiving: 38 targets, 26 receptions, 163 yards, 0 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 129.0
In: Mike Boone
Out: Phillip Lindsay (11/8)
Fantasy Position Rank: 30th/32
WR Room
Courtland Sutton (WR42)
Courtland Sutton was coming off his first Pro Bowl selection in 2019 and was primed to have a monster year in 2020. Unfortunately, after playing in just 31 snaps in Week 1, he tore his ACL and missed the rest of the season. In 2019, he had 72 receptions for 1,112 yards and 6 touchdowns while placing in the top-15 in several categories including targets (126), deep targets (11), target share (26.1%), red zone receptions (11), yards per route run (2.48), and total target distance (1,560). Sutton will give Drew Lock a play-maker on the intermediate to deep throws where Sutton can use his size (6’3) and athletic ability to win at the catch point and in the red zone.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 102 targets, 66 receptions, 999 yards, 6 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 202.1
Jerry Jeudy (WR27)
Jerry Jeudy was the 15th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Alabama, but his rookie season came with mixed reviews. He showed the ability to extend plays after the catch including a 92-yard reception in the final game of the season, but also displayed a propensity to drop the ball with 8 drops and ranked 106th in catch rate at only 46.0%. Jeudy will benefit more than anybody with the return of Courtland Sutton. This will give Jeudy more room to work underneath coverage and over the middle of the field as defenses will have to account for Sutton. I expect a big jump in production in 2021.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 123 targets, 80 receptions, 1113 yards, 6 touchdowns
Rushing: 10 attempts, 68 yards, 1 touchdown
Total Fantasy Points: 240.3
In: N/A
Out: N/A
Fantasy Position Rank: 22nd/32
TE Room
Noah Fant (TE10)
Noah Fant is an athletic freak as a tight end. He finished in the 96th percentile or higher in the 40-yard dash, speed score, burst score, agility score, and catch radius. He was taken by the Denver Broncos with the 20th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and followed up a solid rookie season (40-562-3) with 62 receptions for 673 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2020. Fant should see plenty of opportunities in 2021 and could finish as a top five tight end in fantasy points. It’s going to be fun to see how this offense looks with Fant, Sutton, and Jeudy all playing together.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 91 targets, 64 receptions, 752 yards, 6 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 175.0
In: Eric Saubert
Out: Nick Vannett (15/11)
Fantasy Position Rank: 14th/32
2021 Full Player Projections
Make Your Own Projections With Our Template!
Strength of Schedule (SOS): #24 (.480 122-132-2)
2021 Predicted Finish: 6-11 (3rd AFC West)
Note: all projections are PPR scoring
