Broncos Fantasy Outlook for Week 6: Should You Start Russell Wilson, Courtland Sutton and Others?
The Denver Broncos play in the Thursday night game to kick off week 6. Sitting at 1-4 on the season, the Broncos could desperately use a win. Unfortunately, they are taking on the 4-1 Kansas City Chiefs, who are winners of four straight.
Even though Denver has struggled so far, the team has plenty of viable fantasy players. Let’s take a look at some of them and determine whether or not they should be in consideration of a starting spot.
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Russell Wilson Fantasy Outlook
We’ll kick off the conversation by discussing Wilson, the team’s starting quarterback. Despite the team’s one win, Wilson has been a top-10 fantasy quarterback this season.
Wilson has thrown a touchdown pass in one game, and has two or three touchdown passes in the other four. He’s been held under 200 passing yards twice, but also has two games over 300 yards.
Wilson has done a pretty solid job of taking care of the ball, with just two interceptions thrown. He’s been sacked 15 times and fumbled three times, losing two.
The Broncos’ defense has been horrible this season, and with that unit going against a high-flying Chiefs’ offense, I expect Denver to be playing from behind or trying to keep pace with KC all game. That’s good news for Wilson fantasy owners, but not nearly as great seeing where the Chiefs’ defense ranks. KC is in the top half of the league when it comes to slowing opposing quarterbacks, allowing an average of 15 fantasy points a contest.
Denver’s offense is pretty healthy, but the status of running back Javonte Williams is in question, so that’s something to watch as kickoff approaches.
Wilson is ranked 21st in our week 6 quarterback projections.
Running Back Fantasy Outlook
Speaking of Williams, let’s talk about the Denver running back situation.
Williams missed week 5 with a quad injury, but likely would have played if it were a playoff game, according to coach Sean Payton. Williams was a full practice participant on Tuesday, which points toward the back returning to action against Kansas City. We’ll go with the assumption he is going to play.
So far this season, Williams has just 138 rushing yards on 38 attempts. He’s caught 11 passes for 51 yards. His production suggests the team has been playing from behind a lot, and that’s exactly what’s happened.
After having last week off, and with some extra time off before the next game, I wouldn’t anticipate him being on any kind of snap count restriction.
Without Williams last week, Jaleel McLaughlin and Samaje Perine split the backfield workload. McLaughlin went for 68 yards on nine carries, while also going for 21 yards and a touchdown on three receptions. Perine had six carries for 22 yards and 73 receiving yards on four catches.
With all three running backs capable of helping out in the ground game or as pass catchers, it’s hard to predict who might lead the way among the trio. Denver might simply ride the hot hand each contest.
Williams is ranked 34th in our weekly projections, with McLaughlin at 39th and Perine at 40th.
Wide Receiver Fantasy Outlook
Denver’s receiving leaders might also be hard to predict given what’s happened so far this season.
At the wide receiver position, Courtland Sutton has led the way with 229 yards and three touchdowns on 21 catches and 31 targets. He also leads the team with seven red zone targets.
Jerry Jeudy is second in most stats, with 208 yards on 17 catches and 24 targets so far. He still hasn’t scored and has only been targeted twice in the red zone.
Marvin Mims has 10 catches on 12 targets, but for 246 yards and a touchdown. He’s been a boom-or-bust player so far, and with not having played over 35% of the team’s offensive snaps in any game, it’s hard to predict when he might go off.
Wideouts Brandon Johnson and Lil’Jordan Humphrey have also scored touchdowns, further complicating things. Johnson has 122 yards and three touchdowns on eight catches and 11 targets. Humphrey has 26 yards and a score on four grabs and five targets.
The Denver receivers will be facing a Chiefs’ defense that also excels in slowing wideouts, with just 32 fantasy points allowed a game.
Tight End Fantasy Outlook
The reason the running backs and receivers have been so involved in the passing game is because the tight end position has been underwhelming.
Adam Trautman is the top tight end at this point, with just 60 receiving yards and a touchdown on nine receptions and 14 targets. He has been targeted six times in the red zone, which is always a positive thing. Trautman had five of his targets last week.
Greg Dulcich was the team’s starter coming into the season and was designated to return earlier this week. He had two catches for 22 yards in his lone game this season.
The tight ends have the most favorable matchup among Denver’s offensive fantasy players, as the Chiefs’ defense has allowed an average of 13 fantasy points to tight ends a game.
Dulcich is the top-ranked Denver tight end this week, but is 26th overall at the position. Keep an eye on news surrounding Dulcich as kickoff approaches. If he can’t go, Trautman should replace him in the projections.
Kicker and Defense Outlook
Will Lutz is the Broncos’ kicker and has been strong for the team so far. He’s made eight of his nine field goal attempts, with his only miss being over 50 yards. He’s 11-of-12 on his extra points.
Lutz is the 26th-ranked kicker in our projections.
I’ve already mentioned how bad Denver’s defense has been, and now they get to face off with the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes. KC is pretty healthy on offense, and as long as tight end Travis Kelce plays, that’s all Mahomes really needs to carve up a defense.
I’m not going to go any deeper into the statistics for the Denver defense. They are ranked 30th in our weekly projections, and I hope you aren’t forced to start them, because it could be really ugly.
Who to Start in Week 6
Wilson has been a pretty solid quarterback to this point of the season, but has a tough matchup looming. With their backs up against the wall and needing a big game to just stay in the contest, I like Wilson to have a solid showing. I would consider starting him, but of course play a quarterback with a far easier matchup on paper.
The Broncos’ backfield is kind of a mess right now, and given their tough matchup, I’d try to stay away from them all. In deeper leagues where you might need to start one of them, I think all three could put up respectable numbers. If I had to guess the leader of the group, I’d say it’s McLaughlin after back-to-back good showings.
If the game does turn into a lopsided one and Denver is forced to pass a lot, guys like Jeudy and Sutton seem primed to soar past their current projections and rankings. I’d consider starting both of those guys. As for the other wideouts, I think Mims could potentially hit on a big play as the team plays from behind, making him a solid play in deeper formats. The other receivers I’d probably avoid in all formats.
As for the tight ends, the Dulcich return from injury complicates things. It’s a favorable matchup and I think the tight end who plays the most snaps has a decent chance of scoring. I’d avoid both guys in typical league setups and think about starting Dulcich if he plays in deeper leagues, and if he doesn’t then be fine with Trautman.
I’d also avoid Lutz and the Broncos’ defense. I don’t think Denver will settle for too many field goals if they want to keep pace with the Chiefs. The Denver defense has been a disaster and is staring at another really tough matchup, so I’d avoid them at all costs.
