X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Denver Broncos 2020 Fantasy Outlook

Rishi Patel looks at the projected fantasy football production for the 2020 Denver Broncos to identify potential values and busts.

The 2019 season was yet another turbulent year for a Denver Broncos team struggling to find its offensive identity and QB of the future. Longtime Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco joined the team and Denver struggled mightily in its first four games with him at the helm, going 0-4, and ending up 2-6 at the midpoint of the season.

Eventually, rookie QB Drew Lock came in at the end of the campaign and led the team to a 4-1 record during his five games played. This set up Broncos fans and brass with hope for the future because they may have finally found a capable signal caller to lead this team for the next few years. This has been a problem for the Broncos ever since Peyton Manning retired following Super Bowl 50 in early 2016.

The Broncos ended up being one of the biggest post-draft winners as they signed former Chargers RB Melvin Gordon in free agency and drafted a couple of great receivers in Alabama product Jerry Jeudy and Penn State product K.J. Hamler. Denver now has a loaded offense that is getting a bit of hype, but can they take the next step and compete for the division crown again? With the defending champ Chiefs in the mix, things will be hard. We do know that this Broncos offense is not like the past several years, as they have quite a few fantasy-relevant players. Let’s break this down.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Quarterback

QB Drew Lock is the starter for the Broncos in 2020, but the Missouri product only started in five games at the end of the 2019 season in which he went 4-1. This featured wins over the Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans, Detroit Lions, and the now Las Vegas Raiders. That experience proved valuable, as the 23-year-old racked up 1,020 pass yards, seven touchdowns, three interceptions, 6.5 pass yards per attempt, 204 pass yards per game, an 89.7 quarterback rating, and 72 rush yards. He also had 27 bad throws and a 17.8 percent poor throws per pass attempt rate.

The Missouri native finished 37th among fantasy QBs last season, naturally, because he only appeared in five games. Therefore, he ranked in the bottom of statistical categories among NFL QBs due to the small number of games he played.

There is hype with Lock’s 4-1 record last season, but it’s a small sample size and there is tape on the rookie now as well for opponents to study. As much as this Denver offense is talented, Lock is still a young gunslinger, so he could be prone to mistakes, as evidence of his 7:3 touchdown to interception ratio. It’s best to consider this sophomore QB a backup in 12+ team redraft leagues for now until he proves he is more potent in fantasy.

 

Running Back

The Broncos added Melvin Gordon III to an unit that already features a 1,000-yard rusher in Phillip Lindsay and capable complementary back in Royce Freeman, making this unit a mess in terms of fantasy values. It is likely that Gordon and Lindsay will split carries as the workhorse back while Freeman stays in a backup role to both. The 27-year-old Gordon comes to the division rival Broncos on the heels of a 2019 season that featured him recording some career-lows during his five-year career with the Chargers.

Last year with LAC, the Wisconsin product stockpiled 162 rushes (career-low), 612 rush yards (career-low), eight rush touchdowns, 3.8 yards per rush attempt, and 51 rush yards per game. He also tallied 42 receptions, 296 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown in his 12 games. Gordon also only managed 1.9 rush yards after contact per rush and eight broken tackles. The talented back finished 25th among fantasy RBs in 2019.

He also ranked 28th in rush attempts, 32nd in rush yards, 13th in rush touchdowns, and 27th in rush yards per game among NFL rushers. Gordon didn’t finish as high as many fantasy owners had grown accustomed to during his tenure with the Chargers. Unfortunately, the presence of another workhorse back on the team in Lindsay doesn’t help the Wisconsin native’s fantasy value. Consider Gordon an RB2 in 10 team redraft leagues heading into the 2020 season. His role and fantasy value can change during the season depending on how the carries are split and who emerges as the hot hand.

Likewise, Gordon's presence puts a hit on the fantasy value of the 26-year-old Lindsay, who is coming off two 1,000-yard rushing seasons in his first two NFL campaigns. In 16 games last year, the Colorado native accumulated 224 rush attempts, 1,011 rush yards, seven rush touchdowns, 4.5 rush yards per attempt, 63.2 rush yards per game along with 35 receptions, and 196 receiving yards. He also averaged 1.8 yards after contact per rush and 29 broken tackles. The third-year back finished 19th among fantasy RBs last year, slightly higher than Gordon.

Among NFL rushers, the Colorado-Boulder product finished 16th in rush attempts, 15th in rush yards, 17th in rush touchdowns, 21st in rush yards per attempt, and 17th in rush yards per game. However, as it has come to be known, the likely splitting of carries between Gordon and Lindsay impacts them both negatively for fantasy. Therefore, Lindsay’s value should be considered an RB3 in redraft leagues of 10-12 teams though it could change like Gordon’s during the season.

Finally, Freeman rounds out this Broncos rushing unit. The 24-year-old’s role will shrink this season because of the two other backs ahead of him on the depth chart. The California native compiled 132 rushes, 496 rush yards, three rush touchdowns, 3.8 rush yards per attempt, 31 rush yards per game, 43 receptions, 256 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown in 16 games last year. Freeman finished 40th among fantasy backs in 2019. Now the RB3 on this team, the back’s value should only be that of a flex in deep redraft leagues.

 

Wide Receiver

The Broncos now field Courtland Sutton along with rookies Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler as their top-three receivers. Sutton is the unquestioned WR1 and is coming off a stellar 2019 campaign in which he led Denver pass-catchers in receptions, targets, yards, yards per catch, touchdowns, and yards per game. In 16 games last season, the SMU product recorded 72 receptions, 124/504 targets (24.6%), 1,112 yards, 15.4 yards per catch, and six touchdowns in his second NFL year. The 24-year-old also led league receivers with an incredible 42.93 percent share of team air yards.

Sutton ended up ranking 17th among fantasy receivers. He also finished 18th in targets, 31st in receptions, 19th in yards, and 24th in yards per game among NFL pass-catchers. Because of his rich role on the team and the fact that his biggest competition for targets will be rookies, this bodes well for Sutton’s fantasy value. He can be considered a solid WR2 in redraft leagues with 10+ teams.

The Broncos added firepower to their offense by drafting the former Alabama star, Jeudy, in the first round of the 2020 draft. Per Bleacher Report, the 21-year-old brings a dynamic presence to the field. He is speedy, electric, a fantastic route-runner, can match up with defenders well, and stretch the field to be a big-play guy. He finished with a 4.45 40-yard dash, which ranked middle-of-the-pack among wideouts at the combine. He was compared to Odell Beckham Jr.

The Florida native played three seasons for the Crimson Tide and his 2018 sophomore year was his best. During that campaign, Jeudy recorded 68 receptions, 1,315 yards, 19.3 yards per catch, and 14 touchdowns in 15 games. Overall, the talented receiver notched 159 receptions, 2,742 yards, 17.2 yards per catch, and 26 touchdowns in his collegiate career. Jeudy can no doubt be impactful for the Broncos and fantasy owners, but that will likely take some time since he is a rookie. As the WR2 on this team, he can be considered a flex piece in 12 to 14 team redraft leagues.

Adding to the mix is the speedster Hamler out of Penn State. Per Bleacher Report, the 21-year-old is undersized (5’9”, 178 lbs), but makes up for it with his incredible speed. He can stretch the field and make chunk plays while also creating separation. He has been compared to Texans WR Will Fuller V. The Michigan native didn’t get the opportunity to run the 40-yard dash at the combine, but Broncos GM John Elway did a little experiment of his own to verify how speedy Hamler really is.

The youngster played two seasons for the Nittany Lions, racking up 42 receptions, 754 yards, 18 yards per catch, and five touchdowns as a freshman in 2018 while garnering 56 receptions, 904 yards, 16.1 yards per catch, and eight touchdowns as a sophomore in 2019. He played 13 games each in both seasons. Hamler also compiled 87 rush yards and one rush touchdown on 17 rush attempts total during college. Like Jeudy, there is fantasy potential for Hamler, but he’s still also a rookie. Plus, he’s further down the depth chart as well. Consider this WR as depth on your fantasy team and only take a chance on him if you are in a deep redraft league.

 

Tight End

Noah Fant now enters his second NFL season and brings huge potential for production considering his solid rookie year and decent role on a rising Broncos offense. The Iowa product appeared in all 16 games for Denver last season and was second in targets, yards, yards per catch, and touchdowns, along with finishing third in receptions and yards per game. The 22-year-old compiled 40 receptions, 66/504 targets (13.1%), 562 yards, 14.1 yards per catch, three touchdowns, and 35.1 yards per game. Notably, he also had 8.5 yards after the catch per reception, which was tied for second among NFL pass-catchers last year.

The 2019 first-round pick finished 16th among fantasy tight ends last year. Among NFL tight ends, he ranked 18th in receptions, 13th in yards, 14th in yards per reception, and 19th in reception touchdowns.

Fant is the unquestioned TE1 on this team and has room to improve as Lock and this offense becomes more acclimated together and to the Broncos’ offensive scheme. Despite middling finishes last season, Fant performed well for a rookie, so he has the chance to take a leap this season. Heading into drafts in redraft formats, consider him a TE1 in leagues with 12-14 teams. No other tight end on this team should be considered fantasy-relevant heading into 2020.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Griffin Conine

Expected To Miss Rest Of The Season
Bryce Miller

Battles Through Back Injury On Tuesday
Green Bay Packers

Devonte Wyatt's Fifth-Year Option Exercised By Packers
New York Jets

Quarterback Jordan Travis Retires From Football
Taylor Ward

Sitting On Wednesday
Pittsburgh Steelers

Montravius Adams Released By Steelers
Sam Burns

Could Be Due For A Great Week At TPC Craig Ranch
Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles Picking Up Fifth-Year Option On Jordan Davis
Minnesota Vikings

Myles Price Lands With Vikings As UDFA
Cleveland Browns

NFL Hands Out Fines To Falcons, Jeff Ulbrich For Leak Of Shedeur Sanders' Phone Number
Tyler Glasnow

Shut Down For 10-14 Days
Cleveland Browns

Shedeur Sanders Has A Lot Of Work To Do
Pittsburgh Steelers

Calvin Austin III Has Inside Track On Slot Role
Pittsburgh Steelers

Kaleb Johnson To Be Co-Starter For Steelers?
Baltimore Ravens

Ravens Won't Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Tyler Linderbaum
Baltimore Ravens

Ravens Exercise Kyle Hamilton's Fifth-Year Option
Minnesota Vikings

Vikings Agree With Andrew Van Ginkel On One-Year Extension
Atlanta Falcons

Nick Nash Has An Opportunity With Falcons
Atlanta Falcons

Falcons Exercise Fifth-Year Option On Drake London
Ketel Marte

Likely To Return This Weekend
A.J. Puk

Won't Need Surgery, Won't Throw For 2-3 Weeks
Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Could Be Forced To Injured List With Oblique Injury
Jeimer Candelario

Placed On 10-Day Injured List With Spine Strain
Patrick Rodgers

A Solid Value Play At TPC Craig Ranch
Jamal Murray

Explodes For 43 Points In Game 5
Carson Young

Looking To Recapture Form At CJ Cup
Jayson Tatum

Fires In 35 Points In Series-Clincher
Matt McCarty

An Intriguing Value Play At CJ Cup
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Logs Massive Triple-Double In Game 5
Maxi Kleber

Listed As Questionable For Game 5
Will Zalatoris

Searching For Putting Form At CJ Cup
Rob Dillingham

Out On Wednesday
Jae'Sean Tate

Still Out On Wednesday
Jimmy Butler III

Listed As Probable For Wednesday
Jack Eichel

Notches Two Assists In Game 5 Victory
Sam Stevens

A Risky Play With Upside At CJ Cup
PGA

Sungjae Im Riding Momentum Into CJ Cup
Sebastian Aho

Sends Hurricanes To Round 2
Ben Griffin

Looking To Stay Hot After First Career Win
Jake Knapp

Looking For More Success At TPC Craig Ranch
Linus Ullmark

Records Shutout In Elimination Game
Brady Tkachuk

Extends Point Streak To Four Games
Mackenzie Hughes

Is An Interesting Option At CJ Cup
Pavel Dorofeyev

Doesn't Finish Game 5
Filip Gustavsson

Exits Early Due To Illness
Aaron Ekblad

Slapped With Two-Game Suspension
Aldrich Potgieter

Trending Downward For CJ Cup
Taylor Pendrith

Plays Well In Houston Recently
PGA

Niklas Norgaard May Not Be Cut Out For Texas
Rasmus Hojgaard

Could Be Up Or Down In Texas
Ben Rice

Smacks Two Homers To End Slump
Jorge Polanco

Hits Two More Homers, Drives In Five
Scottie Scheffler

The Untouchable Favorite At CJ Cup
Tom Kim

A Popular Name To Avoid At TPC Craig Ranch
Austin Eckroat

Looking To Find Success Again At TPC Craig Ranch
Cristopher Sánchez

Cristopher Sanchez Set To Start Wednesday
Shota Imanaga

Exits With Leg Cramps
Ben Kohles

Finishes Tied For 59th At Corales Puntacana Championship
Joel Dahmen

Finishes Tied For Second At Corales Puntacana Championship
Beau Hossler

Finishes Tied For 60th At Valero Texas Open
Doug Ghim

Finishes Tied For 18th At the Valero Texas Open
George Kirby

"Feeling Great," Could Throw Again On Sunday
Tyler Fitzgerald

Returning To Starting Nine
Josh Lowe

Progressing Well, Could Play In Rehab Games On Saturday
Shane McClanahan

Begins "Throwing-Like" Activities
Patrik Laine

Remains Day-To-Day
Gabriel Vilardi

On Track To Return Wednesday
Brandon Hagel

Ruled Out For Game 5
Marcus Johansson

Returns To Action Tuesday
Cole Ragans

Won't Start On Wednesday
Dylan Moore

Placed On 10-Day Injured List With Hip Inflammation
Jonas Siegenthaler

Considered A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Brett Pesce

A Game-Time Call Tuesday
Yordan Alvarez

Back In Tuesday's Lineup
Frederik Andersen

Unavailable Tuesday
Aaron Nesmith

Upgraded To Available
Las Vegas Raiders

Jack Bech A Strong Candidate To Be An Immediate Starter
Las Vegas Raiders

Zamir White Competing For Depth Role
New York Jets

Mason Taylor To Immediately Be Atop Jets Tight End Depth Chart
Bennedict Mathurin

Cleared For Game 5
Buffalo Bills

Dalton Kincaid Setting Up As Post-Hype Sleeper In 2025?
Denver Broncos

Dre Greenlaw Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Seattle Seahawks

Sam Darnold To Take Over 90% Of The Snaps
Tennessee Titans

Titans In No Rush To Trade Will Levis
Daulton Varsho

Reinstated From Injured List And Starting On Tuesday
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Records Third Consecutive Double-Double
Brandin Podziemski

Hits Six Treys During 26-Point Performance
Jimmy Butler III

Leads Warriors In Scoring Monday Night
Jarrett Allen

Has Double-Double, Six Steals In Blowout Win
Brandon Boston Jr.

Recovering From Ankle Surgery
Kelly Olynyk

Undergoes Heel Procedure
Aaron Nesmith

Probable For Tuesday's Action
Nathan MacKinnon

Has Two Points In Losing Effort
Martin Necas

Records Two Assists In Game 5 Loss
Mikko Rantanen

Tallies Three Points In Monday's Win
Wyatt Johnston

Leads Stars To Game 5 Victory
Sergei Bobrovsky

Returns To Winning Ways
Anton Lundell

Earns Two Points Monday
Brandon Hagel

Departs Loss Early
Riley Greene

Homers Twice On Monday
Jimmy Butler III

Officially Active For Game 4
Isaiah Stewart

Uncertain For Game 5
Michael Porter Jr.

Expected To Play In Game 5
Russell Westbrook

Questionable For Tuesday Night
Jaylen Brown

Back On The Injury Report
William Byron

Ends With A Strong Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Ryan Blaney

Bad Luck Continues With Talladega Crash
Kyle Larson

Has A Career-Best Performance At Talladega
Ian Machado Garry

Gets Back On Track With UFC Kansas City Win
Brad Keselowski

Talladega Run Ends Early After Crashing
Carlos Prates

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Zhang Mingyang

Still Undefeated In The UFC
Anthony Smith

Retires After UFC Kansas City Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous Decision Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous-Decision Loss
David Onama

Extends Win Streak At UFC Kansas City
Michel Pereira

Drops Decision At UFC Kansas City
Abus Magomedov

Extends His Win Streak
Nicolas Dalby

Gets Finished For The First Time
Randy Brown

Gets Back In The Win Column
Ikram Aliskerov

Gets First-Round TKO Finish At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Gets TKO'd At UFC Kansas City
Chase Elliott

Recovers from Speeding Penalty to Finish Fifth
Joey Logano

Finishes Last at Talladega After Disqualification for Missing Spoiler Brace
Ryan Preece

Loses Talladega Race First in Photo Finish Then in Post-Race Inspection
NASCAR

Poor Toyota Strategy Arguably Cost Bubba Wallace Winning Chances at Talladega
Christopher Bell

Unhurt After Hard Contact with Inside Retaining Wall
Chase Elliott

Is One OF The Top Overall DFS Picks Of The Week
Joey Logano

Could Joey Logano Finish A Race With A Top Finish At Talladega?
NASCAR

DFS Players Should Like Bubba Wallace For Talladega This Week
Christopher Bell

Should DFS Players Roster Christopher Bell At Talladega?
Austin Cindric

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Talladega DFS Lineups?
Shane Van Gisbergen

Is A Solid, Safe, DFS Choice For Talladega Lineups
Austin Dillon

Is Austin Dillon A Viable DFS Play At Talladega This Week?
Josh Berry

Qualifies Too High At Talladega To Be Worth Rostering In DFS
Michael McDowell

Should DFS Players Take A Shot On Michael McDowell At Talladega?
Noah Gragson

Could Be A Sneaky DFS Play For Talladega
Denny Hamlin

Probably Qualified Too Well for DFS Consideration
Kyle Larson

Increasingly Undervalued Due to His Crashing, but Still a Great DFS Option
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF