Denver Broncos DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Denver Broncos wide receiver Devaughn Vele (undisclosed) was absent from practice again on Friday after leaving Wednesday early for an undisclosed reason. When asked by the media about Vele's absence, head coach Sean Payton said "he'll be fine." Payton did not offer specifics on the body part in question, though it does seem to involve a lower extremity, and he added that the wideout could suit up Sunday when Denver takes on the Green Bay Packers at home. The Broncos drafted Vele in the seventh round (235th overall) of April's draft out of Utah, and while he wasn't expected to make much of an impact in his rookie season -- he's balled out over the last week, and the excitement is building around him. Vele isn't your typical rookie, -- making his NFL debut at 26 years old -- but he ran a 4.47 40-yard dash at 6-foot-4, and Denver's WR room is ripe for the taking behind Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr., and Josh Reynolds.

Denver Broncos rookie first-round quarterback Bo Nix will start his first game this Sunday at home against the Green Bay Packers in the second preseason game. Nix was a solid 15-of-21 passing for 125 yards and a touchdown pass while adding 17 yards on the ground. The offense under Nix scored two touchdowns, looking poised in his first action as a pro. Nix looks to carry this momentum with him into this Sunday's game with the Packers in front of a home crowd that will be excited to see the No. 12 pick from April's NFL Draft suit up. The quarterback situation for Week 1 of the regular season is up in the air at this point, but another strong performance from the former Oregon Duck will go a long way toward cementing his status as the starting quarterback to open the NFL season.

New Orleans Saints wide receiver A.T. Perry (ankle) left Tuesday's practice with an ankle injury. The severity of Perry's injury is currently unknown but he did walk off the practice field under his own power. Perry is listed as the Saints' No. 3 wide receiver and is in line to see decent target volume. He recorded 12 receptions for 246 yards and four touchdowns in 2023. He also had a solid outing in the Saints' first preseason game with four receptions for 85 yards. Perry is a decent sleeper candidate in fantasy football due to his knack for finding the endzone. Fantasy managers should monitor the situation as it unfolds.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Sam Ehlinger completed five of his six passes for 80 yards in the team's loss, his only incompletion resulting in an interception. The Colts played five quarterbacks in Sunday's contest, with Ehlinger playing behind Richardson and Flacco, solidifying his spot as the QB3 in this offense. The former Longhorn will compete with Kedon Slovis and Jason Bean for the role, and all three will be off the fantasy radar heading into the 2024 season.

Denver Broncos rookie running back Audric Estime's got the most work of any of the team's RBs in the preseason opener on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium against the hosting Indianapolis Colts. Estime led the backfield with 10 carries for 31 yards and a touchdowns while also catching all three of his targets for 13 yards in the passing game. The 20-year-old also lost a fumble, but he currently appears to be Denver's RB3 ahead of veteran Samaje Perine, who didn't see a single carry and dropped his only target, which led to an interception, despite being the fourth RB in the game behind Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin and Perine. The fifth-rounder should be part of Denver's opening-day roster and is probably the biggest threat to Williams' early-down touches in 2024. However, it will probably take an injury to Williams for Estime to be worth rostering in standard-sized fantasy leagues.