Fantasy football managers are evaluating the Denver Broncos after a disappointing Week 1 performance against Tennessee. The team faces Indianapolis in Week 2, presenting potential bounce-back opportunities for several key players.
This analysis examines each Broncos player’s fantasy outlook for the upcoming matchup. The focus is on identifying which players offer value and which ones present concerns moving forward.
Bo Nix, QB
Bo Nix is poised for a big season and, like Joe Burrow, I’m not letting a brutal Week 1 move me off of that stance (QB29 with 6.8 fantasy points).
When evaluating quarterbacks, I keep it simple.
- Is the talent there?
- Is the system there?
- Are the opportunities there?
I think we got proof of the first two last season, and given that Nix had 48 opportunities last week, I’m not sweating things.
Bo Nix sophomore slump is upon us
This is one of the worst throws I’ve ever seen pic.twitter.com/u8189H3bBb
— Kinny (@KinnyGames) September 7, 2025
Last season, twice did a player have at least 48 opportunities (pass attempts plus rush attempts) and fail to score seven fantasy points:
1) Dorian Thompson-Robinson (Week 17)
2) Daniel Jones (Week 1)
Nix was brutal last week, but it rarely happens, and maybe that matchup with the Titans proves to be more difficult than we are giving it credit for.
Regardless, he gets a Colts defense that I’m not sold on. I know they squashed the Fish last week, but did that teach us anything?
I trust Sean Payton to have this offense clicking sooner rather than later, and the fast track this week is an advantageous spot. He’s my QB9 this week, and I think I might be undervaluing him.
J.K. Dobbins, RB
Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.
It’s rare in fantasy sports that we get a chance to right a wrong, but it’s here. It’s staring you right in the face, and all you have to do is prove that you were paying attention 12 months ago.
That’s it!
After two weeks last season, J.K. Dobbins was the fourth most valuable running back in the land. He was the favorite running back of your favorite running back. He averaged more points per game than eventual stars Chase Brown and Bucky Irving had totaled together.
It was fun, until it wasn’t. After the hot start, he had his moments, but health issues popped up, and he was a fringe top-20 producer on a per-game basis the rest of the way.
So yeah, I’ll take a running back that I project to finish as a top-20 player this season for Dobbins in a one-for-one deal and not think twice about it.
The 19-yard touchdown from last week blinds us from the fact that he had nine totes for 26 yards before and six for 18 after. RJ Harvey was brought in to lead a backfield for a team with playoff expectations, and I can’t imagine that’s changed.
This matchup doesn’t scare me, and you can squeeze another game out of the orange that is Dobbins if you’d like, but what if he falls flat? What if Harvey hits another spike play and never looks back on his way to being 2024’s Bucky Irving?
I’m moving Dobbins instead of playing a game of chicken with his value.
RJ Harvey, RB
Harvey held a slim 7-5 snap edge over Dobbins in the first quarter, but it was 32-15 the rest of the way in favor of the veteran.
This was about as even a rotation as you can get with the two essentially just alternating drives; the Dobbins drives just happened to last a bit longer, thus resulting in his 18-7 touch edge for the week.
I’m not labeling that as predictive, but I still like the rookie to control this backfield when it matters most. We caught a glimpse of what is possible with Harvey by way of a 50-yard run in the fourth quarter. Denver made him a second-round pick after three straight seasons of averaging over 6.0 yards per carry at UCF, and given that they are a win-now team, I expect them to lean into that upside sooner than later.
For now, we wait. All things even, I think Harvey works into the lead role by the middle of the season, but there’s a good chance not all things are even. Dobbins was drafted in 2020 and has played in 55.9% of potential games since.
Stay the course.
Courtland Sutton, WR
This is a fun game we play, which is why we’re enamored with players who can deliver any performance.
Courtland Sutton isn’t that. He’s unlikely to determine your outcome this week or any week single-handedly. Over his last 11 games, he’s scored 14.8-20.8 PPR points seven times. You know what you’re getting, which is why he’s rarely discussed.
The Colts shut down the Dolphins last weekend, but that was much more of an indictment on Miami than anything to fear on the Indianapolis side. In that game, Jaylon Jones (hamstring) and Charvarius Ward (concussion) were both banged up, making this a potentially very advantageous spot for the Broncos as a whole.
I’m comfortable locking in a double-digit floor with more upside than usual this week for Denver’s WR1. In 2021, he ranked fourth in the air yards per game (109.2), and he posted 110 in Week 1 against Tennessee despite getting the L’Jarius Snead treatment.
Successful fantasy teams are built around players like Sutton, who often experience a breakout season or two. Try to remember that. Looking for the diamond in the rough is essential, but holding a diamond that was sitting right in front of you has value as well.
Marvin Mims Jr., WR
Marvin Mims Jr. emerged as a popular breakout candidate this summer, following signs down the stretch of 2024 that suggested he could be a project for Sean Payton to work on.
Personally, I lost affection for him after Pat Bryant was drafted, but perhaps the answer is that neither will be consistent enough ever to be trusted.
Sutton was the only Bronco pass catcher on the field for over 62% of their offensive snaps in Week 1 (Mims: 50.7%, behind Troy Franklin for those keeping track at home), and if that is how this rotation is going to work, you’re grasping for straws in thinking that there is a WR2 worth your time.
In the win, Mims finished with three catches for 12 yards and a lost fumble. I’ll be a week late, maybe a month late, on the Mims breakout, should it happen. There’s simply too much variance in this offense for me to be interested, mainly if you’re operating with optimism toward their WR-RB-TE trio that we all generally like.
The Broncos are a good real-life team, but their fantasy appeal is currently limited and is likely to remain that way for the next four months.
Pat Bryant, WR
Pat Bryant impressed every college football fan in 2024 (54 catches for 984 yards and 10 scores), and the idea of Sean Payton adding a weapon like that was tempting as drafts concluded this summer.
The train of thought made sense, and maybe it will pay off in the long term. Short term? We have zero evidence that there are any plans to give the rookie much of a chance to show what he can do.
In Week 1, Bryant played four snaps, two of which were run plays. If your team was hit with injuries in Week 1, this is the type of player you can move on from. But most teams aren’t ravaged quite yet, and in those spots, this is an interesting enough profile for me to hold tight.
If you want to really overthink things, I’m here for you. Do you trust the Raiders or Jaguars’ defenses? I don’t. The Packers looked good in Week 1 and are likely a top-10 unit, but playing for a 10th consecutive week and at altitude?
- Week 14 at Raiders
- Week 15 vs. Packers (Green Bay has a Week 6 bye)
- Week 16 vs. Jaguars
If your Bryant optimism is going to pay off, there’s a chance it hits at the perfect time. I’m not saying it will, but I’ve been researching this game long enough to know that snap patterns in Week 1 aren’t always predictive of what we see in December.
Evan Engram, TE
On the surface, Evan Engram’s performance in his Denver debut, where he recorded one catch for every six routes run, looks good. He wasn’t exactly used like the versatile weapon I was hoping for, but if that rate came on a full complement of snaps, I’d be holding steady with my Engram stocks.
But it didn’t.
Evan Engram is such a big-play playmaker pic.twitter.com/nGJvrjSLpj
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) August 17, 2025
A calf injury has limited Engram to just 29.6% of the offensive snaps, creating a significant issue for a 31-year-old tight end on a team that doesn’t go on bye until Week 12.
The Broncos have real aspirations this season, which leads me to believe they’ll play it close to the vest, but that’s the last thing fantasy managers want to hear. I still think there is a valuable role for Engram to fill in Sean Payton’s offense, and maybe it takes form at the perfect time, but you’re going to have to roster a second tight end.
Brenton Strange and Chig Okonkwo are the two streaming options I would prioritize over whoever the Broncos elect to add routes to, be it Adam Trautman or Lucas Krull, both of whom ran north of 10 routes last week.
