Jarrett Stidham Fantasy Overview

Broncos HC Sean Payton named QB Bo Nix his starting QB on Wednesday. This was the most likely scenario when Denver took Nix with the 12th overall pick of this spring's draft. Nix bolstered his case with two strong preseason outings, completing 76.7% of his passes at 7.0 yards per attempt with two TDs and zero INTs.

The Broncos acquired QB Zach Wilson from the Jets. Denver is sending just a sixth-round pick to New York and getting a seventh-round pick back. That measly return tells you all you need to know about Wilson's trade value. The second overall pick of the 2021 draft was a colossal bust for the Jets, completing just 57.0% of his passes at 6.3 yards per attempt with 23 TDs vs. 25 INTs. Wilson's 5.67 adjusted yards per pass attempt ranks 39th among 41 qualifying QBs over the last three seasons. He joins Jarrett Stidham in Denver to give the Broncos one of the least inspiring QB rooms in the league. Denver remains a candidate to add a QB in this week's draft. The team has commonly been linked to Oregon's Bo Nix.

As expected, the Broncos are releasing QB Russell Wilson. The team will endure large cap hits this year and next but avoid having to pay Wilson in 2025. He remained decent last year, rebounding vs. 2022 in most stat categories. But it clearly wasn't good enough for the Broncos, who turned to Jarrett Stidham to start the final two games. We'd bet on the 35-year-old Wilson landing another starting gig -- or at least a chance to compete for a starting gig. Denver, meanwhile, has to find a new answer. Stidham has never looked like a long-term NFL starter. The Broncos pick 12th in the upcoming NFL Draft, which might prove too late for any of the top four QBs. We wouldn't be surprised to see Denver try to move up. The values of WR Courtland Sutton, WR Jerry Jeudy, WR Marvin Mims, TE Greg Dulcich, and others will depend heavily on that QB decision.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Broncos will be benching QB Russell Wilson in favor of Jarrett Stidham for the season's final two games. You might remember Stidham playing the same role last year for the Raiders, who benched Derek Carr. And the reasoning on Wilson looks the same. Wilson is already guaranteed $39 million for 2024, but another $37 million would become guaranteed if Wilson can't pass a physical in March. So the Broncos don't appear to be done with Wilson like the Raiders were with Carr. Rather, they're trying to maintain some "financial flexibility," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Even if they'd like to trade Wilson, his contract basically prevents such a move. According to Spotrac, Denver would absorb $85 million in dead cap by unloading Wilson. So expect him to be the 2024 starter. As for the final two weeks of this year, Stidham will likely present a passing downgrade. WR Courtland Sutton has been just about the only usable piece for most fantasy football leagues lately, though. His injury leaves Jerry Jeudy as the expected Week 17 target leader. You'll find him low in WR3 territory in our Week 17 rankings.