The wait is almost over. The bulk of training camps are set to open in just a few days (a few are already underway.) Before kickoff of Week 1, there’s still plenty to learn for fantasy managers. Whether you’re gearing up for a Dynasty rookie draft, looking ahead to your home redraft league, or deciding which keepers to carry, Belly Up Fantasy Sports has you covered. We’re going a Mile High for this preview to get a bird’s eye view of the 2022 Denver Broncos, position-by-position. Let’s Ride.

Note: All 2021 fantasy point totals and rankings are PPR unless otherwise noted.

2022 Denver Broncos Fantasy Preview: Quarterback

For a team rumored to have been courting Aaron Rodgers (to the point of hiring his offensive coordinator for the past three seasons as its new head coach,) the Broncos sure aren’t acting like they ended up with a consolation prize in Russell Wilson. Both team and player have had nothing, but glowing reviews of each other since Denver traded Noah Fant, Drew Lock, Shelby Harris, two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-rounder, some Crooked Stave Trellis Buster, dinner reservations at the Brown Palace, and the expiring contract of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Seattle Seahawks to acquire Wilson’s services. True to form, Wilson hit the ground running as a team leader. Denver fans are beyond excited to see what the Bronco’s best quarterback since the 2014 version of Peyton Manning can do.

Wilson has reportedly been quick to learn new offensive coordinator Justin Outten’s offense. He worked out “privately” with Broncos teammates, including his presumed center Lloyd Cushenberry, both Denver backup quarterbacks and most of his top receiving targets, at his San Diego home facility barely a week after the Broncos acquired him. Wilson has done this before; he quarterbacked the Wisconsin Badgers to the 2012 Rose Bowl in his only season after transferring from North Carolina State. This time around, it’s a pro playbook, and Wilson is coming off a season where he missed three games with a finger injury to his throwing hand. But expectations are high in Denver and in fantasy circles.

Quarterback Bottom Line

As has been the case for his entire career, Wilson is a consensus top-ten fantasy quarterback for 2022. Even coming into a new situation and coming off his most inconsistent fantasy season, Wilson’s talent is too great to ignore. Even with his problems, Wilson finished as QB15 for 2021. While the Denver receiving corps isn’t as top-heavy with talent as Seattle’s, it’s a mile deeper (higher?) Wilson will be surrounded by a strong run game, good receivers, and an inconsistent offensive line (sound familiar???) He’s not the sexiest pick among fantasy quarterbacks, but he’s shown remarkable consistency. Expect new head coach Nathaniel Hackett to let Russ cook. With that, Wilson should return to his familiar place as a top-ten- possibly top-five- fantasy quarterback.

Wilson is “only” 33 and has been remarkably durable in his career despite a high sack rate. While the Broncos have an easy out on his contract should they choose, it would be a surprise if he’s not signed to an extension at some point. As such, Wilson will carry great value in all formats, from DFS to Dynasty. There’s not much behind him on the depth chart. Brett Rypien and Josh “Sisyphus” Johnson will compete for backup duties. Neither holds much appeal and would severely dampen the rest of the Broncos’ fantasy prospects were he to see extended action under center.

2022 Denver Broncos Fantasy Preview: Running Back

Running Back By Committee. Those words are enough to strike fear into the hearts of fantasy managers everywhere. The Broncos are notorious in fantasy circles for being one of the worst offenders when it comes to the dreaded “RBBC”. For most of the past 20 years, Denver has made a habit out of allowing a player to emerge as a real backfield threat, only to yank the rug out from under fantasy managers by allowing a second player to bubble to the surface, thus splitting the points from a generally successful rushing attack. Just four times since 2002 has the same back-led Denver in fantasy points in consecutive seasons. None did so in three straight years. 14 different players have led the Denver running backs in fantasy points for a season.

But this year was going to be different. The 2021 Broncos had a young, up-and-coming stud lead them in running back fantasy points in Javonte Williams. The aging veteran Melvin Gordon moved on in free agency. The Broncos would have to rely on the run game. Life was good.

Running Back Bottom Line

Alas, the fantasy gods are a cruel, fickle pantheon. The blockbuster trade for Wilson changed the offense’s fantasy profile even more than the new coaching staff alone would have. Gordon would not move on in free agency (said the Morgan Freeman narrator voice,) choosing to reunite with his college quarterback, reliving the glory days of their youth. Suddenly, the Broncos’ backfield was much more crowded. Yet, the fantasy world has piled on the Javonte Williams hype train like so many Baltimore Ravens defenders. Williams is currently going in the second round as the overall RB9 in fantasy drafts. Gordon is going in the tenth round as the overall RB35. 35!!

Let’s think about this, folks. Last year’s RB9 Cordarrelle Patterson scored 234.6 points. Interestingly enough, his backup Mike Davis was RB35 with 138.2 points. Almost a 100-point difference between the rankings for running backs on the same team. Last year, Williams and Gordon were RB 17 and 20, respectively. They were separated by 9.8 points in a literal 50/50 timeshare.

Gordon is ostensibly aging out of his prime but doesn’t have a ton of touches on his career relative to that age. His past two seasons have been some of his career’s most efficient and effective. Williams is a good back and talented without question. But he’s never had to be the guy in big-time football. Remember, he shared the backfield with Michael Carter at UNC. There’s just nothing to suggest that Williams will suddenly vault to the upper echelons of fantasy glory. Just as there’s really nothing to suggest that Gordon is going to fall off Pike’s Peak (Colorado geographical reference, kids.) Both will be useable in all fantasy formats this year, but Gordon is currently a MUCH better value in redraft formats.

2022 Denver Broncos Fantasy Preview: Wide Receivers

Similar to the Broncos’ running back situation, everyone in fantasy spheres seems to have fallen in love with one player at the expense of the rest of the Denver wide receivers. That player would be Courtland Sutton. The prevailing wisdom seems to be Wilson’s penchant for “shot plays” downfield, combined with Sutton’s career 13.6-yard ADOT. And I get it, I guess. Sutton’s a bigger target than Jerry Jeudy and tends to run downfield routes. He looks like a “Russ-type” of receiver.

If you’re my age (or, fantasy gods forbid, older), you may remember the Brady Bunch. I look at the Broncos’ wide receiver corps the same way I look at Mike and Carol’s daughters. You’ve got the solid young scene stealer in Cindy (Jeudy). There is the pretty one everyone fawns over in Marcia (Sutton). And then there’s Jan. The unsung star of the group. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Tim Patrick, the Jan Brady of the 2022 Denver Broncos.

Wide Receiver Bottom Line

Sutton, Jeudy, and Patrick are currently going as WR25, WR27, and WR63, respectively. Jeudy undoubtedly has explosive talent and, if healthy, could (should?) be the best of the three. Take him as your second wideout and feel good about things, especially at his similar value to Sutton.

But here’s the thing. Physically, Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick are quite literally the same receiver (remember that whole “looks like a Russ receiver” thing?) They’re both 6’4″. Sutton has all of four pounds on Patrick. They run virtually identical 40 times. Patrick actually led the Broncos in receiving fantasy points last season despite one fewer game,13 fewer targets, and an average depth of target almost four yards lower than Sutton. And for their careers, Patrick handily outscores Sutton on a per-target basis, 1.76 fantasy points per target to 1.66. (Jeudy has scored 1.44 points per target in his two truncated seasons.)

You know my thoughts on Jeudy. Take him. Love him. Rejoice. But when it comes to Patrick and Sutton? Give me Patrick all day and twice on Sundays. I’m not saying Patrick scores more than Sutton this season. Actually, YES, I AM. If Hackett and new offensive coordinator Justin Outten are smart, they’ll put Patrick on the field and give him targets. He’s a more efficient player than Sutton. With a similar target share, I like Patrick to produce. And Patrick’s an infinitely better value at current ADP!! Listen, Marcia was pretty, but ultimately she’s best remembered for injuring herself playing football. Jan gave us the quote everyone remembers. And for what it’s worth, Eve Plumb has almost double the net worth of Maureen McCormick. Just sayin’.

2022 Denver Broncos Fantasy Preview: Tight End

Before the Wilson trade, the Broncos looked to have one of the best tight-end situations in the league. Pairing young rising star Noah Fant with the athletic (if unpronounceable) Albert Okwuegbunam, Denver looked set for years to come. Here we are a few months later, and Fant is apartment hunting in the Pacific Northwest. Yet, the Broncos still appear to have one of the best tight-end situations in the league.

Given Nathaniel Hackett’s background in Green Bay with “12” personnel (one running back, two tight ends,) it was probably inevitable the Broncos would add a tight end to pair with Albert O. Enter UCLA standout Greg Dulcich, taken in the third round of the draft as the third tight end selected. Widely regarded as the second-best tight-end prospect in the draft, Dulcich, and his flowing locks could provide a dynamic bookend with The Big O.

Tight-End Bottom Line

We can either lament the lost opportunity for Okwuegbunam to be Denver’s sole tight end, or we can embrace the (lack of) suck. Okwuegbunam and Dulcich are both going to get their opportunities, although the talent-rich Denver roster will likely cap any one individual’s target share. Okwuegbunam has flashed in his limited chances over two seasons, but he’s athletic enough to be a number one tight end. Dulcich may be a rare talent in a good situation, but tight ends traditionally don’t transition to the league as quickly as other positions. Don’t expect the moon and stars from Dulcich just yet.

While I like both as football players, I’m not falling over myself for either in fantasy just yet. Either man is by far the best tight-end talent Wilson’s had thus far, outside of maybe a rather diminished Jimmy Graham in 2016-2017. But other than those back-to-back top-ten finishes, Wilson hasn’t been a tight end kingmaker. In redraft, Okwuegbunam’s probably the better bet over Dulcich this season. Both players have good Dynasty value, although we’ll need to monitor their usage and development this year to determine if either looks like the future alpha in this group.

2022 Denver Broncos Fantasy Preview: Peripherals

The Broncos were, and remain, a middle-of-the-road defense, both in fantasy and on the field of play. Essentially swapping Von Miller for Randy Gregory will be a lateral move from an impact standpoint. They’re solid against the run but need to turn the ball over more and can’t rely on only allowing nine scores on the ground again this year. Kendall Hinton probably isn’t a savior as a returner. Playing in the brutal AFC West will suppress this unit’s numbers, so I wouldn’t draft them. But they could well be a useable streamer or match-up-based play with Seattle, the Jets, and the AFC South on the schedule this year. Assuming improved offensive play, kicker Brandon McManus should find himself in much better and more frequent kicking situations. He’s draftable as a low-end K1 or a fine streamer option regardless of the opponent.

Win Your League! Have more fun!

Itching for the thrill of another fantasy draft? Looking to put your money to use helping others? Kill two birds with one stone and sign up for the Belly Up Bowl! Remember, more great NFL coverage is available on the main Belly Up site, as well as fun, informative content on the Belly Up Podcast Network, Belly Up TV, and B.U.R.N.S. Radio. As always, check back with Belly Up Fantasy Sports for more fantasy analysis and entertaining insight. Got something to say? Leave a comment below and follow me on Twitter @SttChaseFFB. Find me on the Belly Up Fantasy Live-Dynasty Edition podcast Sundays at 11:00 am EST, and be sure to watch me tonight, July 22 at 9pm EST on the TSS Fantasy Podcast as we discuss the 2022 Denver Broncos more in-depth. Slàinte!