Week 11 NFL Moneyline Underdogs
Mike Randle
It’s time to look ahead to the 2023 NFL season! Follow along with all our fantasy football team offseason roundups here.
It’s been a very busy NFL offseason, with free-agent signings, coaching changes, and several new players entering the league via the NFL Draft. As we prepare for the 2023 fantasy football season, it’s critical to have a full understanding of each team’s offseason moves. Our NFL team roundup series today covers the Denver Broncos
2023 NFL Team Roundup: Denver Broncos
2022 Results
Record: 5-12; 4th in the AFC West
Season End: Beat Los Angeles Chargers, 31-28, missed the playoffs
Denver Broncos Offseason Summary
Draft
2.63: Marvin Mims, WR, Oklahoma
3.67: Drew Sanders, LB, Arkansas
3.83: Riley Moss, CB, Iowa
6.183: JL Skinner, S, Boise State
7.257: Alex Forsyth, C, Oregon
Marvin Mims, WR (2.63)
The Broncos traded up in the second round to make their first pick in the 2023 draft and selected Oklahoma wide receiver Marvin Mims. As a freshman, Mims received FWAA Freshman All-American honors, catching 9 touchdowns in 11 games, the most by a first-year player in school history. In his last two seasons, Mims led the Sooners in receiving yards while averaging 20-plus yards in each of them. In 2022, Mims set career highs across the board, catching 52 passes for 1,005 yards and six touchdowns.
Additions
Free agent signings: OT Mike McGlinchey, G Ben Powers, EDGE Zach Allen, QB Jarrett Stidham, RB Samaje Perine, TE Chris Manhertz, EDGE Frank Clark, CM Tremon Smith, P Riley Dixon, FB Michael Burton, WR Marquez Callaway, C Kyle Fuller, RB Tony Jones
Trade: HC Sean Payton
Sean Payton, HC
The Broncos lured Sean Payton out of retirement, trading a 2023 first-round pick (No. 30) and a 2024 second-round selection to the Saints in exchange for their new head coach and a 2024 third-rounder. During his coaching tenure in NOLA, Payton became the winningest coach in the history of the franchise with a career 152-89 regular season record (.631 winning percentage). He made the playoffs in 9 out of 15 seasons, leading the team to their first and only Super Bowl championship in 2010.
Mike McGlinchey, OT
Mike McGlinchey was a top-10 draft pick in 2018 (No. 9 overall) and started 69 out of 82 regular season games during his five-year tenure with San Francisco. After missing 12 games with a torn quadriceps in 2021, McGlinchey didn’t miss a single game last season, posting a career-high 81.3% block rate.
Ben Powers, G
Ben Powers made Ravens franchise history last season, becoming the first Baltimore player to not miss a single offensive play, logging a team-high 1,096 total snaps. In 2022 Powers allowed just one sack and gave up the second-fewest quarterback hits (1) and pressures (13) among guards that played at least 1,000 snaps.
Jarrett Stidham, QB
Jarrett Stidham was traded from the Patriots to the Raiders last offseason, where he backed up Derek Carr for most of the 2022 season. He started the last two regular-season games, posting back-to-back strong outings, averaging 328 passing yards and two touchdowns in Weeks 17-18.
Samaje Perine, RB
Samaje Perine spent the last three seasons in Cincinnati, mostly backing up Joe Mixon and operating as the team’s third-down back. He posted career highs as a receiver last season, catching 38 passes for 287 yards and four touchdowns. In two games as the starter in 2022, Perine showed the ability to handle a heavy workload, averaging 24 touches and 124 scrimmage yards, and four touchdowns as the lead back. Perine could be leaned on early in the season, with Javonte Williams still recovering from a torn ACL, LCL and PCL.
Departures
EDGE Dre’Mont Jones, OT Calvin Anderson, FB Andrew Beck, LS Jacob Bobenmoyer, RB Mike Boone, G Graham Glasgow, OLB Jacob Martin, K Brandon McManus, EDGE DeShawn Williams, TE Eric Saubert, OT Billy Turner, RB Latavius Murray, RB Chase Edmonds, TE Eric Tomlinson, CB Darius Phillips, QB Brett Rypien, CB Lamar Jackson
Dre’Mont Jones, EDGE
Dre’Mont Jones played the last four seasons in Denver and started 13 out of 17 games last season. In 2022, Jones posted a career-high 47 tackles and matched his career-best mark in sacks (6.5).
Latavius Murray, RB
Latavius Murray was a mid-season acquisition for the Broncos and played in the last 12 games, leading the team in rushing attempts (160), rushing yards (703), and rushing touchdowns (5). He also finished fifth on the team in targets and receptions, catching 26 of 34 passes for 124 yards through the air.
Denver Broncos Fantasy Outlook
The four most interesting Broncos fantasy options:
Russell Wilson, QB
Russell Wilson struggled in his first season in the Mile High City, winning just four of 15 games as the starter. He threw for a career-low 16 touchdowns to 11 interceptions while completing just 60.5% of his passes. Wilson was much better once the team let go of Nathaniel Hackett, finishing as a top-five quarterback in the last two games of the regular season. In Weeks 17-18, Wilson averaged 252.5 passing yards, two touchdowns per game and one interception per game. There is optimism for Wilson to turn things around in 2023, playing in a new offensive system and a competent head coach in Sean Payton.
Jerry Jeudy, WR
Jerry Jeudy hit the ground running last season, catching four passes for 102 yards and a touchdown in his first game with Russell Wilson at the helm. After Week 1, Jeudy struggled to post meaningful production, failing to log more than 54 receiving yards in his next five games. He turned a corner in Week 7 after Wilson was ruled out due to a concussion. With Brett Rypien under center, Jeudy saw a season-high 11 targets, catching seven of them for 96 yards. In his last eight games where he logged more than a single snap, Jeudy averaged 7.88 targets, 6.25 receptions, 85.25 receiving yards and half a touchdown. Extrapolated over a 17-week season, that would have put him on pace for 133.96 targets (WR15), 106.25 receptions (WR8), 1,449.25 receiving yards (WR5), and 8.5 touchdowns (WR11). Per PFF, Jeudy’s 4.19 yards per route run (YPRR) against man coverage last season, ranked first in the NFL.
Courtland Sutton, WR
Courtland Sutton hasn’t looked the same since coming back from a torn ACL, posting another disappointing season in 2022. He caught 64 passes for 829 yards and two touchdowns last season, finishing as a top-20 wide receiver just three times in 15 games. In games with Jerry Jeudy on the field (min. 10 snaps), Sutton took a backseat averaging less than 4 receptions (3.97) and 50.67 receiving yards in games. He’ll have increased target competition next season with the return of Tim Patrick and the addition of second-round wide receiver Marvin Mims.
Javonte Williams, RB
There is still uncertainty regarding Javonte Williams‘ health entering 2023, still working his way back from a torn ACL, LCL and PCL in suffered in Week 4 of last season. Before the injury, Williams finished as an RB1 in one out of three games, while averaging 17.33 touches for 84.37 scrimmage yards in Weeks 1-3. He had just one game with a 60%-plus snap share, and it is unlikely that number will be any higher next season. Sean Payton has had a history of relying on multiple running backs and has already been adamant about Samaje Perine carving out a significant role in the backfield.
2023 Outlook
DraftKings Sportsbook Wins Over/Under: 8.5 (-110/-110)
AFC West odds: +550
After a disastrous first year with Russell Wilson, the Broncos will look to turn things around under the guidance of their newly acquired head coach Sean Payton. At the very least, the offense should be much better after finishing dead last in points per game in 2022 (16.9). In 15 seasons as the head coach for the Saints, Payton’s offense ranked top five in points per game nine times and finished top-10 in offensive yards 12 times. Even with an improved offense, the Broncos will have to make a significant leap in 2023 to be viewed as real contenders.
