Denver Broncos DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz enters the team's Week 17 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday on a streak of five straight games without missing a single kick. Since having a potential game-winning field goal blocked against the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10, Lutz has made all 11 of his field-goal attempts and all 19 of his extra points in the last five games. He's currently the No. 5 fantasy kicker in 2024 and has made 90.6% (29-for-32) of his field-goal tries over 15 games for the Broncos. He's been as reliable as they come and has pretty much been in the mix as a weekly top-12 kicking option for fantasy managers since midway through the season. The Bengals defense allows the fifth-most points per game (26.2), but they're also allowing only 6.7 fantasy points per game to kickers. Lutz may not be the best fantasy option in Week 17, but he should have a high floor.

Denver Broncos rookie wide receiver Devaughn Vele scored his second touchdown of the year in last Thursday night's loss to the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers, but fantasy managers should have more reliable options to choose from for their flex spot this Saturday when the Broncos take on the Cincinnati Bengals on the road. The Bengals defense is ripe for the picking -- they allow 26.2 points per game -- but Vele's lack of consistent opportunities in Denver's passing attack make him far too risky to rely on with championships on the line in most fantasy leagues in Week 17. While the 27-year-old seventh-round selection did find paydirt in LA last week, he only caught two passes for 21 yards. The previous week in the win over the Colts, Vele failed to catch his lone target, and the week before that against Cleveland he caught only one pass for 16 yards.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. has been more productive in recent weeks but will still be hard to trust in fantasy championship matchups in most leagues in Week 17 when the Broncos travel to Cincinnati to face the Bengals on Saturday in a game with huge playoff implications for both teams. Mims has scored both of his touchdowns on the year in the last five games and also has at least 40 yards in four of his last five games, including a 100-yard performance in Week 13 against the Cleveland Browns. However, the 22-year-old second-year wideout played a season-high 47% of the snaps in last week's loss to the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers, and the most targets he's seen in a game in 2024 is five. Mims has plenty of big-play ability with the ball in his hands and will be facing a vulnerable Bengals defense, but his lack of consistent involvement in the offense makes him a flex play to avoid in most leagues.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton will look to get back into the end zone in Week 17 when the team travels to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals in a game with massive playoff implications on both sides. The Bengals defense has allowed 26.2 points per game (fifth-most in the league), but they've also allowed the fifth-fewest half-PPR points per game to opposing wideouts in the last five weeks. An ascending Broncos offense should be able to move the ball and put up points in this one. Sutton has played some of his best ball of the year of late, too, as he develops more chemistry with rookie QB Bo Nix. In the last five weeks, Sutton ranks as the WR15 in half-PPR points with 22 catches on 34 targets for 281 yards and three touchdowns. Sutton has also been a top-15 receiver this year in terms of targets (119), giving him WR1 upside if this game ends up being a shootout.

Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin (quadriceps) practiced in full on Wednesday and Thursday and has been cleared to play in Week 17 for the big game on Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals. McLaughlin was inactive for the Week 16 loss to the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers last Thursday. He was Denver's leading rusher the previous two weeks, but even though he's back in a good matchup against Cincy's porous defense this weekend, fantasy managers in championship matchups shouldn't feel comfortable relying on McLaughlin as a low-upside flex play. Denver's offense has improved since the start of the season under rookie QB Bo Nix, but their ground game here merely been mediocre all year. Not to mention, McLaughlin looked like the RB3 some four weeks ago in the Broncos' backfield. There's no guarantee he'll see more than a handful of touches in his return on Saturday.