Week 2: Denver Broncos Fantasy Football Preview
By Andrew Dill
November 17, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) signals at the line of scrimmage during the second quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos defeated the Chiefs 27-17. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
It’s always nice when the hype gets met by reality. We all thought the Denver Broncos would do swimmingly in the first week of fantasy football action and – shocker – we were right.
After an epic 2013 season and a strong preseason, we knew going into 2014 that Peyton Manning and co. would be in for another awesome season. So far, so good.
Heading into week two, fantasy owners need not worry whether or not the Broncos can do it all again. They may, however, want to know exactly what to expect.
Let’s break things down for Denver’s Week 2 matchup and see which options are best to use in fantasy circles:
Kansas City’s Defense is Dying
The Chiefs were already probably hanging by a thread, as we saw last year that this was a team with painfully little depth. Their pass rush and run defense and still show up at an elite level at times, but they will be ever increasingly more difficult now that stud inside linebacker Derrick Johnson and run-stuffing defensive end Mike Devito.
In fact, the Chiefs were already searching for someone to step up alongside Johnson in the middle of KC’s 3-4 defense, so the loss of Johnson is shaping up to be beyond disastrous.
That’s just the beginning, sadly. KC also said goodbye to veteran corner Brandon Flowers last year and aside from stud safely Eric Berry, has a pretty shaky secondary. Jake Locker looked flawless against them in week one. Jake. Locker.
Peyton Manning and co. beat a healthier and better Chiefs team twice last year, one of those games being an offensive explosion. That might be what we can expect in week two.
The Guys We Trust
Naturally, with the Chiefs falling to a bended knee thanks to injuries on one hand and borderline incompetence on the other, someone as amazing as Peyton Manning is almost a lock for elite numbers. He looked great in week one, and had he and his receiving mates not gotten a little disconnected in the second half last week, he might have had some truly amazing numbers.
Fast forward to this week, and we’ll finally see it happen. Obviously Manning is golden, and I think stud #1 wide receiver Demaryius Thomas is a lock to go nuts, too. Tight end Julius Thomas caught all three of The Sheriff’s touchdowns last week, and that won’t happen again. Demaryius Thomas was also pretty quiet in week one, so he should get much louder. Manning, and the Thomas brothers are the locks, with running back Montee Ball being a fringe option. Obviously simply having a pulse in this Denver offense gives you a shot at craziness, but Ball didn’t run all that well last week and only caught two passes. I still like him against the Chiefs, but he might not be quite as elite as some may hope.
The Guys You Don’t Even Know
It’s the Denver Broncos, so they’re aren’t many sleepers to be had. Just being in this offense in general makes you a legit threat to go off. With that said, Wes Welker remains out due to a suspension, so that gives both Andre Caldwell and Cody Latimer a shot at putting up some numbers. Neither are locks at all, but Caldwell is still playing ahead of Latimer and may get a decent amount of work in the slot.
Ronnie Hillman sat out last week (inactive) due to illness keeping him from staying up with everything Denver is doing. He may not go back ahead of C.J. Anderson right away, but if he does he may be worth a look. He’s much more explosive and versatile and looked solid in the preseason.