Bo

Nix

Nix led the Broncos to a wild 41-32 victory in a game played between two top defenses, with the Broncos picking off Jameis Winston three times, the first two of which were returned for touchdowns. The second half started with a 93-yard touchdown to Marvin Mims on the Broncos’ first possessions after the break, only for Winston to find Jerry Jeudy on a 70-yard touchdown on the next offensive play run from scrimmage. The two long scores ignited the game environment in the second half, with each team scoring two touchdowns after going into the half up 21-17. Nix and the Broncos head to their Week 14 bye at 8-5 and firmly in control of the seventh and final playoff spot out of the AFC.

Nix was estimated as a limited participant for Thursday’s practice. He told reporters today he is “good to go” for Week 13 and a full practice all but confirms that. With eight touchdowns over his past three games, Nix is breaking out as a passer in addition to his rushing output. He will remain on the QB1/2 border for his upcoming bout with the Browns on Monday Night Football.

Thursday’s practice was just a walkthrough, given that Nix and the Broncos don’t play until Monday. There was no mention of an injury to the rookie QB after Sunday’s win over the Raiders, so we’ll assume this is a minor issue for now.

Nix picked apart an exploitable Raiders coverage unit from start to finish. His two touchdown tosses give Nix eight touchdowns over the past three games after running cold on touchdowns in the season’s first couple months. Nix’s rushing has continued to dry out, however, removing some of his fantasy upside. Almost half of Nix’s attempts against Vegas went to Courtland Sutton and Devaughn Vele, who combined for 177 yards and two scores on the day. Nix continues to impress on his way to a potential Rookie of the Year win. He’ll have a much tougher Week 13 matchup against a Browns defense allowing the NFL’s seventh lowest drop back success rate.

It was Nix’s first 300-yard outing of his NFL career as the rookie averaged nearly ten yard per attempt against a Falcons defense that has struggled against the pass of late. Nix, who came into Week 11 with just ten touchdown passes, picked apart the Atlanta secondary on underneath passes and in the intermediate areas. Nix’s accuracy on short passes has improved immensely over Denver’s past couple games as his rushing attempts have dropped. Nix will be a top-12 fantasy option in Week 12 against a vulnerable Raiders defense. He had 206 yards and two touchdowns against Vegas in Week 4.

He added minus-five rushing yards to the ledger as a special treat for you. The Broncos were able to make hay on Courtland Sutton decisively winning his matchup with Trent McDuffie, and Nix added a few more yards on horizontal stretch concepts. He managed to be incredibly hit-or-miss, but it was not Nix’s fault this game turned against the Broncos as Will Lutz missed a 60-yarder short and had a 35-yarder blocked at the buzzer. Nix will try to get back on a winning track next week against a Falcons defense that should get him closer to the top than the bottom of the QB2 ranks.

You read that correctly. Nix caught a touchdown from Courtland Sutton on a “Philly Special” trick play in the second quarter. It was an impressive grab from Nix, who had to box out a Baltimore defender and fall backward into the end zone to score. It was also one of his only highlights of the day. Nix struggled on his deep throws, notably missing Troy Franklin for a long touchdown on a fourth-down in the first half. He sailed the throw to his college teammate, who had a step on his defender in the end zone. The touchdown catch and 36 yards on the ground saved an otherwise poor fantasy outing for the rookie passer. Nix will fall down the QB2 rankings for his Week 10 matchup with a daunting Kansas City defense.

This was a strong game from Nix, and it could have been even better if his wide receivers had given him a little more help. A pair of long passes went off the fingers of Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Troy Franklin, and while they weren’t perfect throws, they were plays that should have been made by NFL receivers. Nevertheless, the rookie quarterback was able to connect on three scores, and he added a one-yard plunge to make it a sensational fantasy afternoon. Nix really struggled early on, but has gotten better — significantly — each week. He’ll take on a very beatable Ravens’ secondary in Week 9.

The scoreless start was Nix’s first in four weeks, but the 75 yards rushing were a new career high and give him 136 over the past two games. He is averaging 8.5 yards per carry in the process. That was the highlight. The lowlight was Nix missing multiple wide-open receivers in the first half, including several down the field. He missed Lucas Krull for what probably would have been a 41-yard touchdown on the Broncos’ opening drive. No matter, as the Saints and Spencer Rattler were so, so much worse. Nix’s limited supporting cast has been a huge hurdle to him gaining true dual-threat QB2 status, but he seems like he’s building toward a potential fantasy eruption. Maybe it will come in Week 8 against the Panthers’ bottom-barrel defense.

Nix’s 61 yards on the ground are a career-high and he has now run for 25 yards and/or scored a rushing touchdown in 5-of-6 games this season. The rookie QB is scrambling his way into the streaming QB1 conversation and while his Week 7 matchup against the Saints presents a challenge, the QB-friendly Panthers and Ravens await him in Weeks 8 and 9.