2015 Review
Despite winning the Super Bowl a season ago, the Denver Broncos offense left a lot to be desired. It ranked 19th in scoring offens and in the bottom fourth in total yards. The team's two quarterbacks, Brock Osweiler and Peyton Manning, combined to throw 19 touchdowns compared to 23 interceptions. Meanwhile, the team failed to record a 1,000-yard rusher.
With both Osweiler and Manning gone, there are a ton of questions relating to the Broncos' offense heading into the 2016 season. Who will start under center? Can the team's passing game improve? If not, will that lead to a disappointing season for Denver. Here's a look at the Broncos from a fantasy perspective heading into the 2016 season.
Quarterbacks: Mark Sanchez, Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch
No matter who ends up under center come Week 1, the Broncos' quarterback situation will be irrelevant from a fantasy perspective. Sanchez may have the upper-hand here due to experience, but he's neve been anything more than a below-average starter in the NFL. In fact, Sanchez's best season came back in 2011 with the New York Jets when he put up 26 touchdowns compared to 18 interceptions. Even then, that wasn't enough for him to act as anything more than a bottom-rung QB2 option.
As it relates to both Siemian and Lynch, the upside is higher here. Though, no one can even come close to relying on them as anywhere near fantasy relevant options, even in extended leagues. In reality, the quarterback position in Denver is a fantasy black hole.
Running Backs: C.J. Anderson, Ronnie Hillman, Devontae Booker
If the quarterback position is Denver's biggest question mark, running back isn't too far behind. Anderson entered last season valued as a top-10 fantasy running back. He responded by finishing as the 30th-best fantasy running back. In fact, Hillman, who many believed would be released during the preseason, finished ahead of him in the rankings.
With these two splitting carries a season ago, there simply wasn't much in terms of fantasy relevance here. It remains to be seen if this is going to be the case in 2016, but we simply can't rely on either acting as a starter-caliber fantasy option. The best bet here would be to stream the two later in the draft itself.
Though, the true wild card here is Booker. If he impressies during the preseason, it's quite possible that the rookie fourth-round pick will be able to take touches from both Anderson and Hillman. If so, that will lead to more fantasy-based questions on this offense.
Wide Receivers: Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders
Thomas has put up 100-plus receptions in each of the past two seasons. And despite last year's mess at quarterback, he was still able to tally 105 receptions for 1,304 yards and six scores. Though, he caught less than 60 percent of the passes thrown in his direction.
Like with any top-end fantasy receiver, one of the biggest things we have to take into account is his quarterback situation. Unfortunately, we simply don't know how well Thomas is going to mesh with whoever is under center. With an ADP that has him currently valued at the bottom of the third round, there's simply too many question marks to pick him there.
On the other hand, Sanders has proven himself more than capable no matter who is under center. Sanders has caught 64 percent of the passes thrown in his direction over the past two seasons. During that very same span, the veteran is averaging 89 receptions for 1,270 yards. With an ADP in the sixth round, Sanders represents more value than his teammate.
Tight Ends: Virgil Green
There's absolutely nothing to see here. Green recorded just 12 receptions for 173 yards as the Broncos' primary tight end last season. That's nowhere near the type of production we expect from a fantasy relevant player at this position. Don't expect much to change in 2016.