Denver, Mile High City, where both the expectations and the people are very high. The Broncos juiced-up their offense in the draft this year. How will Drew Lock respond? Lots of people are curious. In case you missed it, last time we covered the Tennessee Titans. Come with me now to Denver, and let’s see what all these new weapons are gonna do in 2020.

QB:

Drew Lock: Passing: 317/494-3,548, 25 TD: 11 INT
Rushing: 39-160-1: 9 FMBL
Standard: 243.92 (26)
0.5 PPR: 243.92 (26)
1 PPR: 243.92 (26)

Jeff Driskel: Passing: Nope, he fails Elway’s Exam. He will not be playing QB. If Lock sucks or goes down, Elway calls Peyton that day. Or Favre. Or Marino. His speed-dial is littered with retired QBs.
Rushing: Nowhere, fast. He knows Elway won’t let him play. So he is in no hurry.

There is so much hype right now in Denver. They added tons of weapons on offense, but everything hinges on Drew Lock. The second-year man showed enough flashes that the Broncos apparently were confident with him heading into 2020 as their guy. But I am not completely sold. He played the Chargers, Texans, Chiefs, Lions, and Raiders. Not exactly elite defenses. And now, defenses will be game-planning for him. I am not saying he is gonna suck. I am saying, I am not confident he ascends into elite territory in 2020. That being said, he is definitely the type of guy you target late for boom-or-bust potential. He has the weapons. I could be so wrong on him.

And then there is Driskell. Let’s just talk about Lock more. he had a 64.1 completion percentage. 7:3 TD:INT ratio, and added some serious weapons. Denver put him in position to succeed. Again, I blame nobody for snagging him late for his potential.

RB:

Melvin Gordon: Rushing: 193-798-7 TDs: 2 FMBL
Receiving: 54 targets, 39 catchers, 279 Yds, 2 TD
Standard: 159.7 ( 25)
0.5 PPR: 179.2 (25)
1 PPR: 198.7 (23)

Phillip Lindsay: Rushing: 171-789-5 TD
Receiving: 42 targets, 30 catches, 178 Yds, 1 TD
Standard: 132.7 (33)
0.5 PPR: 147.7 (34)
1 PPR: 162.7 (36)

Royce Freeman: Rushing: 29-116-1 TD
Receiving: 10 targets, 6 catches, 35 Yds
Standard: 21.1 (84)
0.5 PPR: 24.1 (84)
1 PPR: 27.1 (85)

There are two talented backs here, but both are going to get touches. Which cripples their fantasy ceilings. Gordon is gonna edge Lindsay slightly in touches, but both are gonna get enough touches to be relevant. However, do not reach. Neither are elite because of the other’s presence. Gordon should flirt with RB2 production, and Lindsay is a solid flex option. Draft them accordingly.

Let’s get real here. an injury to either of those guys instantly shoots the other way up the board and into borderline RB1 territory. So feel free to reach slightly early. But I am avoiding Gordon at his current price and have a bit more exposure to Lindsay because of his deflated ADP.

WR:

Courtland Sutton: Rushing: 3-31, 1 FMBL
Receiving: 126 targets, 78 catches, 1,099 Yds, 9 TD
Standard: 166 (9)
0.5 PPR: 205 (10)
1 PPR: 244 (12)

Jerry Jeudy: Receiving: 89 targets, 61 catches, 711 Yds, 5 TD: 1 FMBL
Standard: 100.1 (48)
0.5 PPR: 130.6 (46)
1 PPR: 161.1 (45)

KJ Hamler: Rushing: 6-51, 1 FMBL
Receiving: 48 targes, 30 catches, 379 Yds, 2 TD
Standard: 54 (89)
0.5 PPR: 69 (89)
1 PPR: 84 (89)

DaeSean Hamilton: Receiving: 18 targets, 10 catches, 81 Yds, 1 TD
Standard: 14.1 (139)
0.5 PPR: 19.1 (137)
1 PPR: 24.1 (137)

Tim Patrick: Receiving: 9 targes, 4 catches, 42 Yds
Standard: 4.2 (159)
0.5 PPR: 6.2 (160)
1 PPR: 8.2 (160)

Diontae Spencer: Receiving: 3 targets, 1 catch, 8 Yds
Standard: 0.8 (173)
0.5 PPR: 1.3 (173)
1 PPR: 1.8 (173)

Courtland Sutton is a freak. He is the WR1, he is going to get a WR1 target share. Expect a huge year for the Broncos third-year stud. He showed vast improvement in year two and should continue that trend in year three. His ADP is too low right now, get him. His 15.9 YPC average and improving catch rate display his big-play potential and consistent improvement.

Jerry Jeudy was a stud in college. And his skills should translate into the league. Sutton lowers his ceiling slightly, but if Lock performs well, we are looking at an elite 1-2 punch in Denver. The Broncos also added speedster KJ Hamler, and as far as third receivers go, he has a very high upside with a pretty low floor.

Outside those guys, do not touch the Broncos other WRs. There is too much talent in this offense for any of them to gain any relevance.

TE:

Noah Fant: Rushing: 4-47-1 TD: 1 FMBL
Receiving: 72 targets, 44 catches, 601 Yds, 4 TD
Standard: 93.8 (10)
0.5 PPR: 115.8 (13)
1 PPR: 137.8 (15)

Nick Vannett: Receiving: 12 targets, 8 catches, 71 Yds
Standard: 7.1 (73)
0.5 PPR: 11.1 (72)
1 PPR: 15.1 (71)

Albert Okwuegbunam: Receiving: 11 targets, 6 catches, 64 Yds, 1 TD
Standard: 12.4 (67)
0.5 PPR: 15.4 (67)
1 PPR: 18.4 (68)

Noah Fant showed glimpses of what is to come in 2019. I expect more consistency in year two. The only reason I don’t have him higher is because those WRs are going to get a whole lot of targets. Fant should thrive in the looks he gets, but I don’t see enough volume to vault him into elite territory just yet. However, that’s his trajectory.

Vannett, I can’t get behind. Sorry. The reason, is Big O. I don’t usually expect much from rookie tight ends because of the steep learning curve, but Albert and Noah are gonna be a nightmare for defenses to deal with in 2021. Two big bodied speedsters with high ceilings. Goodness, The Broncos have some serious weapons. It all comes down to Lock for me.

I project the Broncos to score 1,168.42 points, which is 26th. A lot of that has to do with the unknown of Lock. However, I like dipping into the Broncos in 2020. Sutton is a steal, Fant is a blossoming star, and Lock has the kind of upside I like to see in backup/third QB. We should know sooner rather than later whether he has what it takes to make these projections look criminally low.

Follow me on Twitter @realryanhicks. Follow Belly Up Fantasy on Twitter for all your sports needs. Next up, we have the Los Angeles Chargers.