Team Profile
Denver Broncos
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-7.3% 21stOff DVOA
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5.7% 21stPassing DVOA
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-16.1% 29thRushing DVOA
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-13.6% 4thDef DVOA
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-7.5% 6thDef Passing DVOA
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-23.7% 2ndDef Rushing DVOA
2024 Team Stats
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Points For25.5 10th
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Points Against19.5 5th
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Yards Per Game314.0 22nd
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Yards Allowed Per Game320.0 8th
Denver Broncos running back Audric Estime (knee) underwent a precautionary knee scope for an injury he suffered last week, according to NFL.com. Although it's not ideal for the rookie Notre Dame product to get banged up early in his career, the injury is not serious, and he is expected to be ready for training camp later this summer. Following Estime's final season in college which included 1,483 yards from scrimmage and 18 touchdowns, some viewed him as a top running back in the 2024 class. However, his 4.71 40-yard dash time at the NFL combine likely led to him falling to Day 3. Either way, he could carve out a role in Sean Payton's offense right away as a short-yardage and goal-line back behind Javonte Williams.
The Denver Broncos are expecting to see growth from wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. as he heads into his second year in the league. "You're going to see a lot of growth from Year 1 to Year 2," head coach Sean Payton said. Mims, the team's second-round pick (63rd overall) in 2023 out of Oklahoma, averaged a healthy 17.1 yards per catch in his first NFL season last year but caught just 22 passes on 33 targets for 377 yards and only one touchdown in 16 games (seven starts). The 22-year-old didn't get all that many opportunities to get into a rhythm in his rookie campaign but showed potential as a deep threat down the field from time to time. His fantasy stock immediately got a boost when the team traded Jerry Jeudy to the Browns in the offseason, but he'll still have to show improvement in Year 2 in order to see playing time alongside Josh Reynolds, Tim Patrick and rookie Troy Franklin.
Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin (head) was photographed participating in OTAs on Thursday, according to the Marietta Daily Journal. The pass-catching back came on strong late in his rookie campaign last year, but he's still expected to face firm competition in the form of Javonte Williams and Audric Estime, to name a couple. Adding extra faces to this backfield complicates the matter and drops McLaughlin to a depth role, making him a reasonable target at his ADP of 163. Fantasy managers will find extra solace in the fact that he's healthy and ready to go for the season.
Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham is embracing the team's three-man QB competition this offseason between himself, former first-round Zach Wilson and this year's first-rounder Bo Nix. "I'm not going to just sit down and let someone else walk on in here -- I'm going to work my butt off to get the job. I'm super excited about it," Stidham said. The 27-year-old signed a two-year, $10 million deal prior to last season and could now be considered a mentor who could be an upset winner of the starting job this summer. Stidham, Wilson and Nix will get an equal split of the work during the offseason program, but we probably won't have a better sense of who is in the lead in the competition until training camp. Stidham has the advantage of knowing the offense from a season ago, but even if he's the starter in Week 1, he'll be on a short leash and will be a low-upside, low-end QB2 in fantasy.
As he competes with both rookie first-round quarterback Bo Nix and former first-rounder Zach Wilson in offseason workouts, Denver Broncos QB Jarrett Stidham said he's much more comfortable running the offense in his second year with the team. Stidham was with head coach Sean Payton a year ago and will have an advantage over both Nix and Wilson in that area. His four career starts in the NFL have come in the last two seasons with the Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders. "I'm not out there thinking as much, I'm just out there playing free and playing more confident, which is great. It's been good," Stidham said. It remains to be seen who will emerge as the team's Week 1 starter after training camp and the preseason, but if it's Stidham, he'll probably be no more than a low-end QB2 in fantasy. Even if Stidham wins the job to begin the year, it would be a surprise if Nix doesn't make starts at some point in 2024.