The Denver Broncos will face the Baltimore Ravens in Week 9. We have fantasy football start-sit advice for every fantasy-relevant player for the Broncos so you can make the best decisions for your lineups.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 9 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Bo Nix, QB
Anything can happen for a single game, we are all aware of that. But if I told you two months ago at your draft to order the quarterbacks in terms of likeness to post a four-week stretch where he is fantasy’s QB3, where would Bo Nix have slotted?
23rd? 33rd?
Okay, so that might be a little harsh, though the Joe Flacco supporters come out strong at times.
Nix has cleared six fantasy points with his legs in four straight games and has fired multiple touchdown passes in three of those contests. Essentially, he’s doing what we thought Jayden Daniels would do, and it all looks sustainable to my eye.
Could Nix hit a rookie wall at some point? It’s possible, but is it going to happen against the tire fire that is the Ravens’ pass defense?
Baltimore ranks 26th or worse in passer rating, yards per attempt, air yards per throw, and touchdown rate this season, giving Nix access to a ceiling to complement the floor that his athleticism provides.
I have Nix ranked as QB11 and, to be honest, am worried I’m not high enough. As it is, I have him over Patrick Mahomes and C.J. Stroud, both of whom were top-five picks at the position by ADP this summer.
I know we have “De-Hember” for Derrick Henry. Could we be entering “Bo-Vember”? The Chiefs are a tough matchup next week, but the Ravens this week with the Falcons and Raiders around that matchup lineup nicely.
I’ll see myself out.
Javonte Williams, RB
Williams doesn’t have a carry gaining more than 20 yards this season and built up goodwill from fantasy managers thanks to two strong showings in great spots. Outside of that, have we really been all that impressed?
The fact that he caught 15 passes across four October games is a value-stabilizer, and that’s enough to keep him in the RB2 conversation, but I’m looking for other options with him facing the second-best run defense in the league.
Not only is the Ravens’ front its strength, but Baltimore’s offense has the ability to sustain long drives. I’d be shocked if Williams got the 17 touches that have proven to be something of a floor for him recently, and there’s not enough scoring equity to feel good about with an implied total hovering around 18 points.
Courtland Sutton, WR
One week after playing 86.9% of the snaps and not seeing a single target, Sutton hauled in eight of 11 looks for his first 100-yard game since Week 2, 2022.
Such is life in a Bo Nix-led offense.
While I like what I’ve seen from the rookie QB, he’s a ways away from leading a stable fantasy offense, and I fear that this peaks-and-valleys season that Sutton has going (three games with 15+ points and three with under 5.5) is what we can expect moving forward.
I don’t mind players like that in a stable situation. It’s not ideal, but I can talk myself through it being a Xaiver Worthy week in Kansas City or a Christian Watson week in Green Bay thanks to their quarterback’s ability to exploit very specific matchup edges.
It doesn’t always work, but I can feel good about my process with players like that. Sutton doesn’t fall into that bucket. He lit up Carolina last week, but his other recent strong performances have come against well above average secondaries (Chargers and Jets) while the woeful Saints shut him out and the Raiders held him to 5.2 PPR points.
He’s a random number generator. As long as you label him as such, you’re free to do whatever you’d like with him because you know what you’re signing up for. That’s my job — to make you a well-informed consumer.
I’d rather take smaller swings and, therefore, will never have Sutton ranked as a top-30 receiver.
Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens Insights
Denver Broncos
Team: Both the Broncos and Ravens are 5-1 over their past six games, with Denver (+66) holding the significant edge in point differential (Baltimore: +43).
QB: Over the past two weeks, Bo Nix is just 1-11 when pressured (43-52 when not pressured). The Ravens rank 27th in pressure rate this season and are coming off of their two lowest pressure rates of the season.
Offense: The Broncos picked up 64.7% of third downs on Sunday, their first game over 36.4% this season.
Defense: The Broncos allow a first down on just 19.% of opponent rush attempts, the third lowest rate in the league (Vikings and Ravens).
Fantasy: Nix is still a raw prospect, but he’s cleared six fantasy points with his legs in four straight and has thrown multiple touchdown passes in three of those games.
Betting: Denver has covered seven of their past nine games when installed as an underdog by more than six points.
Baltimore Ravens
Team: The Ravens are 1-2 outright when favored by at least seven points this season (they were 17-3 in such spots over the previous four seasons).
QB: Blitz at your own risk – Lamar Jackson has completed 28-of-36 passes against the blitz over the past three weeks.
Offense: In Weeks 1-5, Jackson’s sack-per-pass attempt rate was 3.3%. Since then, it has remained at 8.1%.
Defense: Baltimore’s defensive success rate through four weeks stood at 62.3%, but it has plummeted to 53.4% since
Fantasy: Over his past six games, Zay Flowers has three with over 110 receiving yards and three with no more than 20. On the plus side, three of his five end zone targets this season came on Sunday in Cleveland.
Betting: Over tickets have cashed in six of Baltimore’s last eight home games (2-1 this season).