Fantasy: Offensive Depth Chart Review – Denver Broncos
Quarterback:
1 – Tim Tebow
In his rookie season, Tim Tebow edged out both Michael Vick and Aaron Rodgers in both fantasy points per snap and fantasy points per opportunity. Those numbers are skewed because Tebow scored 3 rushing touchdowns in only 20 wildcat snaps before being named the starter in Week 15 and he scored 57.1% of his 101.1 total fantasy points rushing the football. However, despite only completing 50.0% of his passes, Tebow finished the season with three straight quality starts of over 24 fantasy points.
2 – Kyle Orton
Kyle Orton had a productive season on the stat sheet; however, he fell short in the most important category of team wins. Orton sat the final three regular season games after leading the Broncos to a 3-10 record. Denver’s poor record wasn’t all the fault of Orton, but he took the fall as the starting quarterback after Josh McDaniels was fired. Orton managed to finish as the 16th best fantasy quarterback despite sitting the final three games. The most glaring deficiency in Orton’s game last year was his inability to handle pressure. His completion percentage of 58.8% included completing less than 50% of his pass attempts and 6 of his 9 interceptions under pressure.
3 – Brady Quinn
Brady Quinn did not take an offensive snap in 2010. The erratic former-first round draft pick is best suited as a backup quarterback in the NFL.
Running Back:
1 – Knowshon Moreno
Knowshon Moreno had a disappointing season as he missed three games due to injury and then only played sparingly in the final three games of the season. Moreno did manage to finish as the 20th best PPR running back on the strength of his 37 receptions and 8 total touchdowns. He fared better ranking 15th among running backs in fantasy points per snap, so he is someone to watch closely after his high expectations. Moreno graded out as one of the worst run-blocking halfbacks (-2.9) in the league and needs to improve in this area to see more playing time.
2 – Correll Buckhalter
Correll Buckhalter will turn 34 years old before the season and he is showing signs of slowing down with only 2.5 yards per carry last year in limited duty. The Broncos will almost certainly address this running back position in free agency or the draft.
3 – Lance Ball
Lance Ball played in 97 offensive snaps, most of them in Weeks 15-17 while Moreno was shut down. He has the potential to be a journeyman running back at the end of a roster, but doesn’t offer any plus skills.
4 – Lendale White
Lendale White suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the final preseason game and did not play in 2010.
5 – Jeremiah Johnson
Reserve/Future Contract
6 – Brandon Minor
Reserve/Future Contract
Fullback:
1 – Spencer Larson
Spencer Larson only played 174 snaps and ended the season on IR.
2 – Mike McLaughlin
Reserve/Future Contract
Wide Receiver:
1 – Brandon Lloyd
Brandon Lloyd was one of the biggest surprises in the entire league last year and ranked 2nd among all wide receivers in fantasy points. Not many saw his breakout coming. Lloyd was among the league leaders in 2009 among targets per snap (16.36%) and targets per pass route (20.45%) and followed that up in 2010 with totals of 17.03% and 24.38% respectively. Lloyd was one of the most dangerous downfield threats with 76% of his targets past 10 yards, including 28% over 20 yards.
2 – Jabar Gaffney
Jabar Gaffney was solid but not spectacular in 2010. Unlike Lloyd, Gaffney ran shorter patterns with 77.0% of his targets were under 19 yards. Gaffney only scored 2 touchdowns and his 13.6 yard per reception was subpar. Gaffney is a solid reserve player and the Broncos hope that either Eric Decker or Demaryius Thomas can take his starting spot sooner than later.
3 – Eddie Royal
Eddie Royal was targeted 64.0% of the time under 9 yards and his 10.6 yards per reception reflected that. Royal played almost exclusively out of the slot in his 615 snaps.
4 – Eric Decker
Eric Decker played in 141 snaps after missing the first five games due to injury. Decker did not see significant playing time until Week 16 and only caught 6 passes on the season. The highlight of his season was a 6 yard touchdown catch from Tim Tebow in Week 17.
5 – Demaryius Thomas
Demaryius Thomas, the first wide receiver selected in the 2010 NFL Draft, had a solid rookie season even though he struggled with injuries. Thomas displayed strong run blocking ability and was often targeted when he was on the field (35.58% targeted rate per pass route run). Thomas suffered a setback when he tore his Achilles in February, so Thomas is only a stash away player in dynasty leagues at this point.
6 – Matt Willis
Matt Willis played in 9 offensive snaps and had a 17 yard reception in Week 3 versus Indianapolis.
7 – Britt Davis
Britt Davis played in 3 offensive snaps in the season finale against San Diego.
8 – Eron Riley
Reserve/Future Contract
Tight End:
1 – Dan Gronkowski
Dan Gronkowski served primarily as a blocker (67%) in his 303 snaps.
2 – Julius Thomas
Julius Thomas, the former basketball player from Portland State, is an intriguing prospect that has excellent size for the tight end position but has to refine his technique to become an impact player early in his career.
3 – Virgil Green
Virgil Green fell to the 7th round of the NFL draft despite excelling at the NFL Scouting Combine because of a lingering knee issue. Green has immense athletic talent and will be used in a move tight end/h-back role.
4 – Richard Quinn
Richard Quinn, the former second round pick known primarily as a blocker, caught 1 pass for 9 yards in 2010. Quinn blocked on 82% of his 169 snaps.
5 – Daniel Coats
Daniel Coats played three games for Denver after starting the season with Cincinnati. Most of his 13 snaps came at the fullback position in place of the injured Larson.
Kicker:
1 – Matt Prater
Matt Prater is a restricted free agent and is expected to return to Denver. He ranked as 8th best kicker last season according to the PFF grading system (+9.6).
2 – Steven Hauschka
Steven Hauschka kicked the final 4 games of the season after Prater was placed on IR.
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