Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy (hamstring) is not expected to play vs. the Raiders today, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Jeudy got in three limited practices this week and should have a good chance to play Week 2. His absence today leaves Courtland Sutton and Marvin Mims as Denver's top two WRs. TE Greg Dulcich could also pick up extra routes and targets with Jeudy out.
Broncos WR Courtland Sutton has "consistently been quarterback Russell Wilson’s top target in training camp," The Athletic's Nick Kosmider writes. "He is fully healthy and has demonstrated more explosiveness than in any training camp since 2020, when he was dominant in practices leading up to his ACL injury." Kosmider adds that HC Sean Payton believes that Sutton can "thrive as an outside receiver in his system." Jerry Jeudy was Denver's best WR by basically any metric last season. But it's worth noting that the target split between Jeudy and Sutton was relatively close -- 69 to 61 in favor of Jeudy in their nine healthy games together. Jeudy sits well ahead of Sutton in our 2023 fantasy football rankings. But Sutton could certainly prove to be a value at his WR40 ADP.
NFL Network's James Palmer had "multiple people" in the Broncos organization tell him that Tim Patrick is "the best football player in that WR room." That WR room also includes Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and second-round rookie Marvin Mims. QB Russell Wilson felt most comfortable throwing to Patrick last offseason, per Palmer. And the belief (hope?) is that Patrick's August torn ACL played a big part in Wilson's ugly 2022 season. Patrick is on track to be ready for Week 1, which is good news for Wilson. But it's tough to see Patrick emerging as a reliable fantasy option barring an injury to Jeudy or Sutton. Patrick is at least worth considering near the end of best-ball drafts.
Broncos WR Courtland Sutton ranked just 40th among WRs in PPR points per game and 41st in half-PPR last year. HC Nathaniel Hackett and QB Russell Wilson were problems. But Sutton finished well behind teammate Jerry Jeudy in fantasy points per game, as well as yards per target (9.7 to 7.6), yards per route run (2.18 to 1.55), and Pro Football Focus receiving grade (77.9 to 69.7). HC Sean Payton should be a significant upgrade for Denver's offense in 2023. But Wilson remains a question mark. And Sutton faces additional target competition with the addition of rookie WR Marvin Mims and the return of WR Tim Patrick (ACL). It all makes Sutton a fairly uninspiring fantasy pick, even at his WR39 ADP. He sits considerably lower than that in our updated WR rankings.
The Broncos selected Oklahoma WR Marvin Mims Jr. in Round 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Mims produced from the moment he hit the field at Oklahoma. He led the Sooners with 610 receiving yards and 9 TDs as a true freshman, again led the team with 705 yards as a sophomore, and then tallied a career-best 54-1,083-6 line this past year. Mims left school with a huge 19.5 yards-per-catch average and confirmed his top-end speed with a 4.38-second 40-yard dash at the Combine. The 5’11, 183-pounder is a bit wiry and could stand to add some play strength. But he’s a ready-made deep threat with the potential to develop into a 3-level weapon. Denver’s current depth chart looks crowded. But trade rumors have surrounded Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton. Plus, Tim Patrick is coming off an ACL tear.
The Broncos signed WR Marquez Callaway to a one-year deal. He spent his first two NFL seasons under new Broncos HC Sean Payton in New Orleans, tallying 21-213-0 and 46-698-6 receiving lines. Callaway joins Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, and K.J. Hamler in Denver's WR room. Jeudy and Sutton have been bandied about as trade candidates (although Payton recently shot those rumors down), while Patrick (ACL) and Hamler (pectoral) are rehabbing major injuries. There's a chance that opportunity opens up for Callaway in Denver, although we'd still consider him no more than a last-round flier in best-ball drafts for now.
Broncos HC Sean Payton tells NFL Network's Tom Pelissero that people shouldn't buy into the trade rumors surrounding WR Jerry Jeudy or WR Courtland Sutton. "We're not trading those two players," Payton said. We could simply take the coach at his word. Of course, these rumors have been swirling for a while now, with no Broncos leadership previously swatting them down. If you're doing best ball drafts right now, then you should treat Jeudy and Sutton as though they'll be in Denver this season. That said, we had no idea a year ago at this time that A.J. Brown and Marquise Brown were about to get traded on Night 1 of the NFL Draft. A month ago, we had no idea that D.J. Moore was about to move to Chicago. So be wary of treating any NFL team decision maker as though he's telling the full truth over the next five weeks.
Broncos QB Russell Wilson scored twice on the ground in Sunday's 3-point loss to the Chiefs. He totaled 27 rushing yards on 4 carries, including the TDs from 16 and 4 yards out. Wilson added 222 yards and a TD (plus an INT) passing, finding TE Albert Okwuegbunam for a 25-yard score. WR Jerry Jeudy led the team in targets (8) and catches (7) but collected just 38 yards. WR Courtland Sutton followed with a 4-44 receiving line on 6 looks. Denver closes out vs. the Chargers at home in Week 18.
Broncos WR Courtland Sutton (hamstring) practiced fully on Friday and doesn't carry an injury tag for Week 17 vs. the Chiefs. WR Jerry Jeudy (ankle) was a limited participant all week and is listed as questionable. An absence from Jeudy would create an interesting opportunity for Sutton to step up in a neutral matchup vs. the Chiefs. However, Jeudy is the wideout we prefer for fantasy purposes. Jeudy has received a whopping 27 targets over the last 3 games and stands to be a high-end WR2 option if he suits up. Sutton did fairly well last week after missing a pair of games with this same hamstring issue. He's a WR3/flex option on Sunday. WR Kendall Hinton (hamstring) is listed as questionable after a limited week of practice.
Broncos WRs Jerry Jeudy (ankle) and Courtland Sutton (hamstring) participated in a limited capacity again on Thursday. Friday's report will give us a more concrete outlook of their statuses for Week 17 vs. the Chiefs. The same goes for TE Greg Dulcich (hamstring), who did not practice for the 2nd day in a row. We'll let you know more tomorrow.
Broncos WRs Jerry Jeudy (ankle) and Courtland Sutton (hamstring) both participated in a limited fashion on Wednesday. It's still early enough in the week for both pass-catchers to suit up for Week 17 vs. the Chiefs potentially. We'll have a better idea of their statuses tomorrow.
The Broncos have fired HC Nathaniel Hackett, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. So Hackett doesn't even make it a full season in Denver. His tenure was a disaster from the start and ends with an embarrassing 51-14 loss to the Rams on Christmas. We'll see who the Broncos tab as their interim HC, but we doubt the move has much of a fantasy impact over the final 2 weeks of the season.
Update: Senior assistant coach Jerry Rosburg has been named Denver's interim HC, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. The 67-year-old has spent much of the last 2 decades as a special teams coordinator and has no head-coaching experience at any level.
Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy caught 6 balls for 117 yards in Sunday's loss to the Rams, leading the team in both categories and targets (10). WR Courtland Sutton returned from his hamstring injury to post a 5-64 receiving line on 7 targets. TE Greg Dulcich grabbed the team's only TD among 4 catches for 39 on 8 targets. Denver closes out the fantasy football season (in most leagues) at Kansas City. Denver tallied 263 yards and 4 TDs passing in the Week 14 meeting with the Chiefs, who have been a slightly positive scoring matchup for WRs but strongly positive for QBs.
Broncos WR Courtland Sutton (hamstring) is active for today’s game vs. the Rams. It’ll be his first action since Week 13.
Broncos WR Courtland Sutton (hamstring) enters Week 16 listed as questionable after logging limited practice all week. Teammate WR Kendall Hinton (hamstring) did not practice all week and has been ruled out for Sunday's contest vs. the Rams. Prior to getting hurt in Week 13, Sutton had been a favorite target of QB Russell Wilson. The Rams present a fairly neutral matchup for fantasy purposes. This is a matter of how much fantasy managers should trust Sutton in his first game. We view the wideout as a high-end WR4/deep league flex option in Week 16.
Broncos WR Courtland Sutton (hamstring) practiced in a limited fashion on both Wednesday and Thursday this week. Sutton is seemingly on track to return from his hamstring injury for Sunday's game against the Rams. He led the Broncos with 7.6 targets per game across 7 outings with a healthy QB Russell Wilson and healthy WR Jerry Jeudy earlier this season. But Sutton still ranked just 41st among WRs in fantasy points per game in that span.
Broncos WRs Courtland Sutton (hamstring) and Kendall Hinton (hamstring) are out for Sunday’s game vs. the Cardinals. That leaves some combination of WRs Brandon Johnson, Jalen Virgil, Freddie Swain and Montrell Washington behind WR Jerry Jeudy. Jeudy and TE Greg Dulcich should be the clear top 2 options in the passing game.
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