Broncos HC Sean Payton said Saturday that he expects RB Javonte Williams (knee) to be ready for the start of training camp. "His rehab is going well," Payton said. "A good chance he’s ready. Hopefully might not start on PUP." Williams is working back from October's multi-ligament knee injury. GM George Paton was optimistic about Williams' availability for Week 1 back in February but was non-commital when discussing the situation again in April. It's unclear if Williams has made significant progress over the last month or if Payton is wearing rose-colored glasses. Williams carries substantial risk until we see him back on the field, but he's reasonably priced at an 8th-round price tag in Underdog drafts.
The Saints traded TE Adam Trautman plus a seventh-round NFL Draft pick to the Broncos for a sixth-rounder, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. It's noteworthy that HC Sean Payton's new team is acquiring a TE he drafted in New Orleans in 2020. Trautman's arrival crowds a TE room that already included Greg Dulcich, Albert Okwuegbunam, and journeyman Chris Manhertz. There's some potential for targets to get dispersed to the point that no Denver TE presents worthwhile fantasy value. But let's keep in mind that Trautman averaged just 20 receptions per season through three years after arriving in Round 3. That included just 18 catches for 207 yards last year. And then the team that drafted him sent him away for just a move up from Round 7 to Round 6 in the draft. Don't adjust your outlook for Broncos TEs just yet. You can check our numbers on the group now in our 2023 fantasy football TE rankings.
The Broncos grabbed LB Drew Sanders in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Sanders bounced around a little before starring as a full-time player for Arkansas in 2022. He earned unanimous All-America recognition after racking up 103 total tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, 6 passes defensed and 3 forced fumbles. According to Pro Football Focus, Sanders spent 12.8% of his defensive snaps in an edge role last season. He’s not likely to repeat that in the pros. Going to Denver lands him in a defense that already played LB Josey Jewell full time in 2022 and then re-signed LB Alex Singleton in free agency. We'll see whether Sanders can carve out an early role, but don't bet on a significant IDP impact in 2023. Don't be surprised when he falls down our IDP rookie rankings either.
The Broncos selected Oklahoma WR Marvin Mims Jr. in Round 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Mims produced from the moment he hit the field at Oklahoma. He led the Sooners with 610 receiving yards and 9 TDs as a true freshman, again led the team with 705 yards as a sophomore, and then tallied a career-best 54-1,083-6 line this past year. Mims left school with a huge 19.5 yards-per-catch average and confirmed his top-end speed with a 4.38-second 40-yard dash at the Combine. The 5’11, 183-pounder is a bit wiry and could stand to add some play strength. But he’s a ready-made deep threat with the potential to develop into a 3-level weapon. Denver’s current depth chart looks crowded. But trade rumors have surrounded Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton. Plus, Tim Patrick is coming off an ACL tear.
Broncos GM George Paton said Thursday that RB Javonte Williams (knee) will be back at some point during the 2023 season but doesn't know exactly when. That's a much different tune than Paton was singing back in February, when he said Williams was “on track” to be ready for Week 1. Williams tore his right ACL, LCL, and posterolateral corner in October -- a much more complicated injury than a standard ACL. We'll continue to track his rehab. But, at this point, fantasy drafters should not be expecting Williams to be ready for the start of the season. We currently project him to play 14 games.
Broncos HC Sean Payton gave a pretty chilly response when asked about TE Greg Dulcich at the league meetings in late March. "We'll see," Payton said. "Some of it was hard -- the evaluation [on Dulcich.] Some of it was hard." Dulcich flashed between injuries as a rookie last year, tallying a 33-411-2 line across ten games. He ranked 17th among TEs in PPR points per game and 19th among 32 qualifiers in yards per route run. But the fact that he's now playing for a brand new coaching staff adds risk to his 2023 fantasy football outlook. Denver still has TE Albert Okwuegbunam, a popular breakout candidate this time last year. And The Denver Post's Kyle Newman believes the Broncos could add a TE in the draft later this month. The good news with Dulcich: He's just TE15 in recent FFPC ADP — a fine shot to take at that price.
Broncos WR K.J. Hamler recently underwent surgery to repair a partially torn pectoral he suffered while training, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Hamler is expected to be sidelined for four to six months, which means he'll miss the entire offseason program and potentially training camp. It's just another setback for a guy who's piled up a lengthy injury history. Hamler is off the redraft radar at this point -- and his dynasty value is fading fast.
The Broncos have agreed to a two-year, $7.5 million deal with RB Samaje Perine. This contract also includes an additional $1 million in potential incentives. Perine makes a lot of sense for the Broncos given the uncertain recovery timeline for RB Javonte Williams, who tore his ACL in Week 4 of 2022 vs. the Raiders. Even if Williams is able to recover in time to play a majority of the 2023 season, Perine stands to shoulder a decent amount of the rushing workload in a Sean Payton-led offense that historically uses a committee approach at RB. The Broncos have invested heavily in their offensive line this offseason as well, inking large contracts with T Mike McGlinchey and G Ben Powers so far. How much this move impacts fantasy will depend on the health of Williams, but this move is far from insignificant, especially if the Broncos don't spend any more on the RB position this offseason.
The Broncos have agreed to a three-year deal with DL Zach Allen. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that it's for $45.75 million total, including $32.5 million guaranteed. That comes on the same day that Denver watched DL Dre'Mont Jones get a bit more from Seattle. Allen progressed across four seasons with the Cardinals. He was enjoying his best campaign yet before a hand injury knocked him out for the final four games. Allen's career-high 20 QB hits over just 13 games suggest upside beyond his career-high 5.5 sacks. Allen also tallied a career-high 10 tackles for loss. The move to Denver reunites him with former Cardinals DC Vance Joseph. Allen could emerge as a value pick in 2023 IDP drafts. We like him as a top-30 D-lineman in our dynasty rankings.
The Broncos are re-signing LB Alex Singleton to a three-year, $18 million deal that includes $9 million guaranteed, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. It's a surprising move. Singleton went undrafted in the 2015 draft class and didn't play in an NFL game until 2019. He bounced into and out of the Eagles lineup through 2020 and 2021 before they let him walk. Even last season, his playing time fluctuated throughout the season. Singleton is coming off his best pro season, though, and has been a tackle monster whenever on the field. Fortunately, we fantasy players don't have to worry about whether this is a good move for the Broncos. We can just take advantage of the tackle collection when he's on the field. So Singleton now looks better than expected for dynasty rosters. And he's a candidate for the top 24 when our 2023 IDP rankings roll out.
The Commanders have agreed to a one-year deal with LB Cody Barton that NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports is fully guaranteed. We don't know how much money yet, and it's likely not a number that locks Barton into a starting role. But there's room for him to earn starter snaps in a defense that might lose LB Cole Holcomb in free agency. Jamin Davis should be the best current bet for full-time snaps among Washington LBs, heading into his third season. Barton didn't play very well in his first starting turn with Seattle in 2022, which is why the team is letting him walk.
Free agent QB Jarrett Stidham and the Broncos have agreed to terms on a two-year contract worth $10 million. This deal includes $5 million in guaranteed money and locks Stidham into serving as QB Russell Wilson's backup. Stidham started two games with the Raiders at the conclusion of the 2022 NFL season, tallying 584 passing yards with 4 TDs and 3 INTs. He should carry some appeal as a depth option in superflex leagues should any injury occur to Wilson in what should be a much-improved offense under new HC Sean Payton. Not all backup QBs are worth spending too much time thinking about for fantasy purposes, but Stidham is fairly intriguing here if nothing else.
Oklahoma WR Marvin Mims Jr. had a good day Saturday at the NFL Scouting Combine. His 4.38-second 40-yard dash ranked fifth among all wideouts. Mims also tied for fifth among 40 receivers in the vertical and checked in fourth at the position in the three-cone drill. Mims averaged a strong 19.5 yards per catch across three seasons with the Sooners. Look for much more on him and the rest of the WR class in our Dynasty Fantasy Football Value series.
Broncos RB Javonte Williams is “on track” to suit up for Week 1, per GM George Paton. Speaking at the Combine, Paton shared that Williams has progressed to jogging following an October ACL/LCL tear. We’ll see how the 3rd-year RB fits in new HC Sean Payton’s offense. Regardless, look for the Broncos to add a depth piece or two this offseason. Note that Denver currently holds only 5 draft picks — and none until Round 3 — in the 2023 NFL Draft.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Broncos and Saints are "finalizing compensation" that would allow Sean Payton to become Denver's HC. The big potential winner here, fantasy wise, is QB Russell Wilson. He'll come off easily the worst performance of his career to work with the HC that helped Drew Brees become Drew Brees in New Orleans. Of course, Brees was just 27 in his 1st season with New Orleans, after the Chargers allowed his rookie contract to expire and Brees to hit the open market. Russell Wilson just completed his age-34 season. Plenty of surrounding talent should remain, with WRs Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy still under contract, TE Greg Dulcich entering Year 2, and WR Tim Patrick and RB Javonte returning from knee injuries. Among his 15 years as Saints HC, Payton had 13 consecutive offenses rank among the top 10 in total yards. His teams also finished top-10 in points 12 times.
Update: Schefter reports that Denver is sending its 2023 first-rounder and 2024 second-rounder to the Saints for the rights to Payton and New Orleans' 2024 third-rounder.
Raiders QB Jarrett Stidham (right elbow) practiced fully on Wednesday. This is certainly a step in the right direction considering Stidham only managed to log limited participation on Tuesday. We'll keep an eye on this situation in case anything changes. For now, it sounds like Stidham will be under center in Week 18 vs. the Chiefs on Saturday.
Raiders QB Jarrett Stidham (right elbow) was limited in Tuesday's practice. That throwing arm must be a little sore after chucking 34 passes in last week's overtime loss to the 49ers. Stidham should be under center for Saturday's finale vs. the Chiefs, but we'll keep an eye on him over the next few days.
The Jets do not plan on shopping QB Zach Wilson this offseason, and the former #2 pick remains in the team's long-term plans, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "The team views Wilson as an incredibly hard worker, a good teammate and very smart," Rapoport writes. "He has handled his demotions well and kept working." A decent trade offer could change the Jets' plans, of course. We'll see what else they do at QB this offseason. QB Mike White is set to hit free agency in March.
Broncos TE Greg Dulcich (hamstring) has been placed on IR. He'd already been ruled out for Sunday's game vs. the Chiefs and will now also miss the finale. Dulcich dealt with a few different injuries this year but flashed when healthy, finishing with a 33-411-2 line in 10 games. He currently ranks 18th in Pro Football Focus receiving grade and 21st in yards per route run among 39 TEs with 30+ targets. We're not optimistic about QB Russell Wilson's chances of bouncing back in 2023, but Dulcich will be worth considering as a TE2 in early 2023 fantasy football drafts.
Broncos WR Courtland Sutton (hamstring) practiced fully on Friday and doesn't carry an injury tag for Week 17 vs. the Chiefs. WR Jerry Jeudy (ankle) was a limited participant all week and is listed as questionable. An absence from Jeudy would create an interesting opportunity for Sutton to step up in a neutral matchup vs. the Chiefs. However, Jeudy is the wideout we prefer for fantasy purposes. Jeudy has received a whopping 27 targets over the last 3 games and stands to be a high-end WR2 option if he suits up. Sutton did fairly well last week after missing a pair of games with this same hamstring issue. He's a WR3/flex option on Sunday. WR Kendall Hinton (hamstring) is listed as questionable after a limited week of practice.
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