After six weeks of heart-stopping, nail-biting Broncos’ football, the hearts and hopes of the Broncos faithful finally get a week off. Despite the close calls, Denver remains 6-0. But while the Broncos have remained undefeated in real football, many fantasy owners with Broncos players on their teams probably haven’t fared so well. With the Broncos on bye this week, it’s time to re-evaluate the players reppin’ the blue and orange on your team. So here’s what to do with your struggling Broncos.
Peyton Manning
Before Week 6, I said if Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning couldn’t get the job done against a mediocre Browns’ defense, he may not be worth a roster spot. Now before you lambast me saying, “Running the football was a better choice for the team against Cleveland!” I agree.
However, like I said then, Derek Carr, Philip Rivers and Joe Flacco all had big days against this defense. Manning has been nothing short of awful in his first six fantasy outings of the season. We were expecting a drop off in production with Gary Kubiak implementing his run-first offense, but it’s been a precipitous fall from grace for Manning.
In six games Manning has 1,524 passing yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Manning had more than double that number of touchdowns by this time last year and less than half the interceptions, despite playing in only five games due to an early bye week. Of course, Manning tied the seven-touchdown mark in the opening week of the 2013 season, throwing seven against Baltimore. Manning had a whopping 25 touchdowns to three interceptions through seven games (no bye) in 2013.
So what should fantasy owners do with Denver’s “Sheriff?” It’s time to cut bait on Manning. Manning doesn’t even crack the top 25 in terms of fantasy quarterbacks this season and he’s behind players who are not owned in many leagues, like Jacksonville’s Blake Bortles and Cleveland’s Josh McCown — who outperformed Manning from a fantasy standpoint in Week 6 despite playing one of the league’s best defenses.
Heck, Manning is even behind guys who haven’t been playing well this season, including Kirk Cousins, Jameis Winston and Sam Bradford.
Will Manning turn things around? I have to believe that he will. He can’t be much worse than he’s playing, so he might be worth the stash depending on who you have at quarterback and where you rank in your league. But there’s a lot of depth at the quarterback position and putting your team’s playoff aspirations at risk on the hope of a brighter future for Manning isn’t worth it. Smart owners have likely found another option besides Manning. Realistically, there’s not much reason to justify keeping him.
Verdict: Cut
C.J. Anderson
Another year, another starting running back for Denver supplanted by a backup. Before the season, Gary Kubiak and C.J. Anderson seemed like a match made in heaven. Kubiak was the the man behind the success of running backs Arian Foster and Justin Forsett. Anderson was one of last season’s breakout fantasy players.
However six games into the season, Anderson has not rushed for more than 43 yards once. To say Anderson’s performance has been disappointing is an understatement. He’s a prime candidate for bust of the year. The lone ray of hope in this scenario for fantasy owners is that fellow back Ronnie Hillman, who is now considered the starter, has never been able to hold on to the top spot for long. Perhaps that can be a selling point for fantasy owners who wish to trade Anderson away, he’ll no doubt have to be paired with another player. Don’t expect much for him in return.
Verdict: Trade away
Ronnie Hillman
If you were one of the fantasy owners smart enough to pick up Ronnie Hillman, timidly pat yourself on the back. Hillman has proven himself to be the better back in Denver, posting his second 100-plus yard rushing day on the season against the Browns in Week 6. While Anderson isn’t totally out of the picture yet, Hillman has outperformed him in four of the six weeks of the season and has solidified himself as the top back in Denver. Hillman is no stranger to being top dog in the Mile High but he’s never been able to hang on to the position for long. Still, for the time being, fantasy owners have a viable flex starter with RB2 upside.
Verdict: Start
Demaryius Thomas
Though a far cry from being a top-three fantasy receiver like he has been in years past, Demaryius Thomas has put up solid numbers for fantasy owners this season, averaging close to 88 yards per game. The real issue here is the lack of touchdowns. Thomas has just one score on the season. Yardage wise, Thomas has been a boon particularly in points per reception leagues. Right now, I’d keep Thomas with the expectation that Manning and the Broncos get things figured out on offense, he may even make a sneaky buy-low candidate for trades. He can’t go anywhere but up in terms of scores.
Verdict: Start/Buy low
Emmanuel Sanders
Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders is the best player on this team offensively in real and fantasy football. He and Thomas have the same number of yards this season (527) despite the fact that Sanders has 10 fewer receptions. Sanders also has 10 fewer targets this season than Thomas, but watching the games, it seems that when the going gets tough or the Broncos have to complete a pass, Sanders is Manning’s go-to receiver. The big advantage Sanders has over Thomas is touchdowns. Sanders has three to Thomas’ one. Sanders clearly has Manning’s trust and should have the trust of fantasy owners as well.
Verdict: Start
Owen Daniels
A sleeper heading into this season, tight end Owen Daniels is yet another Broncos player who has fallen victim to the team’s stagnant offense. After putting up less than 20 yards in his first two games, Daniels found the end zone in back-to-back weeks but did little else in those contests. He was unable to take advantage of a prime matchup against the Oakland Raiders in Week 5. Daniels was mostly silent in Denver’s game against Cleveland in Week 6, hauling in three late-game catches for 24 yards. Daniels has no value at this point and should be left on waivers.
Verdict: Cut
Brandon McManus
Kicker Brandon McManus is the third highest-scoring kicker in fantasy football. ‘Nuff said.
Verdict: Start
Denver Defense
The Denver Broncos defense has won the Broncos six games and won countless others for fantasy owners so far this season. The Broncos are second in takeaways with 17 through six games. The team has nine interceptions and eight fumbles. The Broncos allow an average of 17 points per game this season and have only allowed 102 total points through six games. That’s second only to the Packers who have allowed 101. The Broncos’ defense is the highest scoring Denver “player” in fantasy football this year in standard scoring leagues. The Broncos are fantasy’s No.1 defense and are a must-start every week.
Verdict: Start
Hugh Johnson: 303-954-1037, hjohnson@denverpost.com or @HughJohnsonDP
