Fantasy Football Player Notes

It seems like it's been forever since we've seen Sutton on a football field, right? Part of that is due to 2020 seeming like the longest year of all-time. But when he does return to the field, the Broncos offense looks quite different than the one that allowed him to rack up 1,112 yards and six touchdowns in 2019. The additions of Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler, Melvin Gordon, and Javonte Williams are all massive, as is the emergence of Tim Patrick. Suddenly, it's going to be tough for any receiver on this team to hit 120 targets. But what Sutton has going for him is that he's already shown that he can perform at a high level in the NFL. While I believe Jeudy can as well, we haven't seen that just yet, which gives Sutton the nod in the rankings as a WR3.

Don't let 2020 fool you; Jerry Jeudy is a very good wide receiver. The targets that came from Drew Lock were not worth nearly as much as they should've been, and Jeudy owners should be hoping Teddy Bridgewater wins the job. He's someone who's more timing-based than Lock, and that would benefit the route runner that Jeudy is, as you could make a highlight tape of the defenders he made look silly last year, only Lock didn't find him. The quarterback competition weighs heavily on Jeudy's fantasy potential.

When the Broncos signed Gordon to a two-year, $16 million contract, you had to assume they were going to use him in a big role. That's not quite what happened, as they continually wanted to involve Phillip Lindsay. After letting him walk in free agency, they snagged Mike Boone, which was a downgrade from Lindsay. Okay... but that wasn't it. They drafted Javonte Williams at the top of the second round, a running back who'll certainly compete for touches immediately. Gordon isn't going to simply go away making the money he is, but he's also not likely going to get the 16.5 touches per game he was in 2020. There's also a possible suspension coming Gordon's way for a DUI incident last year, which needs to be factored into his fantasy stock. He's not someone you should be relying on for anything more than RB3/flex production.

Despite being an freakish athlete, Fant was an incredibly boring fantasy asset to roster in 2020, finishing with 35-57 yards in 9-of-15 games, while failing to top 81 yards in any one game. The issue stems from his quarterback, as the targets are simply not that valuable, because 93 of them (what Fant saw) is more than enough to be a reliable fantasy asset. Unfortunately, we don't know if Drew Lock will still be the quarterback, and the Broncos have Courtland Sutton returning to the lineup, which will surely cut into Fant's target share. On top of that, the team seemed to like using both Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam prior to Okwuegbunam's injury last year, which is another ding on Fant's fantasy stock. He's fine, but unless there's a change at quarterback, he's nothing you can't live without.

There are many trying to appoint Williams as the top back in the Broncos offense, but don't go there just yet. Melvin Gordon has one year left on his deal, and it's the same coaching staff that brought him in on a two-year deal worth $16 million. It's likely they continue using Gordon in a timeshare with Williams in the Phillip Lindsay role, which netted 8-16 touches when Gordon was in the lineup. That does give him flex appeal, and if anything were to happen to Gordon, Williams could be a league winner. Treat him as a high-end handcuff, and anything else he gives you is a bonus.

McManus' overall numbers last year were pretty much in line with his career marks. He converted 82.4% of his field-goal attempts (81.6% career) and 24 of his 27 extra-point attempts. But the Broncos were willing to trust him from long range, which included 15 field-goal attempts from at least 50 yards, of which he converted 10. Playing in Denver's thin air, McManus is always a threat to convert from long range, so he should be considered a borderline startable option in standard-sized leagues.

We have no idea who will start for the Broncos to start the season, and while it's likely going to be Lock, he needs to improve drastically, because he'll now have a much shorter leash. The Broncos have one of the most talented groups on offense and are just a quarterback away from exploding. Can Lock take the year three leap? To this point, he's averaged just 6.6 yards per attempt with 23 touchdowns and 18 interceptions through 18 games.