Denver

Broncos

Wallace did not play in the league last season, last suiting up for the Broncos in 2024. The 2018 UDFA appeared in 96 games during his career while making 72 starts, with his most notable seasons coming with the Bills. The 31-year-old corner totaled 56 pass breakups and 12 interceptions in his career.

Badie probably has the edge given his versatility on special teams and third-down work. McLaughlin’s path to a roster spot “looks dicey” per Evans.

Coleman has been noted to be a passing-down consideration instantly — he’s essentially ticketed to fill Tyler Badie’s role from last year per Evans — but the idea that he could get in on short-yardage work is pretty interesting. It’s hard to believe that Coleman will have major fantasy value right away — if at all — this season. But that’s more about the lack of snaps in play than about Coleman’s talent. A Dobbins injury could lead to more Coleman carries than RJ Harvey-reliant managers would like.

“I don’t think that we have any individuals or personalities in our offense that are saying, ‘Hey, I need this, I need that,’” Sutton told The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider. “I think we have a bunch of guys that are willing to put their pride aside and say, ‘What do I need to do for this team to be successful?’” Kosmider guesses that the Broncos won’t have two 1,000-yard receivers this year as they spread the ball around. Sutton is coming off the board around the WR35 mark, surrounded by rookies and other players with real usage or injury questions. This is a great quote for Broncos fans, but fantasy managers would probably prefer a squeakier wheel from Sutton. He may fade into the WR4 picture if the Broncos decide to feature new additional Jaylen Waddle.

“I think we’ll see Harvey make a big jump in Year 2, even as he elbows for room in a more crowded backfield,” Kosmider writes. Harvey is definitely one of the more interesting bets on the board — his ADP is slightly ahead of backfield mate J.K. Dobbins, but well outside of the top 50 overall. It’s worth noting that Harvey did crush as a receiver already last year as he posted a 47/356/5 line, so we already know he can be a high-efficiency winner in this offense. Still, with Jonah Coleman potentially elbowing his way into the third-down mix and Dobbins back, Harvey does have some low-floor results in his range of outcomes.

It’s possible the Broncos are just easing him back from a torn triceps that took most of this year. But Kosmider believes there’s a chance that Denver simply moves forward with Alex Palczewski at left guard and releases Powers ahead of the season if they think Palczewski is their best option at the position. Sean Payton told reporters that Powers “is right on schedule to where we thought he’d be at this point.”

Evans compares Mims to Seahawks WR Rashid Shaheed, who recently signed a three-year deal averaging more than $17 million per year. Shaheed is a more accomplished wide receiver, but both players are decorated special teams returners. Per Evans, one agent who works with several NFL wide receivers believes Mims could earn $11 to $13 million annually as things currently stand. Should he contribute more offensively, those numbers could go up. Earlier this week, Mims publicly acknowledged that this may be his last year in Denver. Evans writes that Broncos coach Sean Payton wants to give Mims more offensive opportunities, but the offensive staff “has not always trusted Mims to run a full route tree.” If Payton really wanted to further incorporate Mims into the offense, we can’t understand why that hasn’t already happened, though. Mims should only be viewed as a late-round dart throw in best ball right now.

Harvey is an undrafted free agent rookie. He initially signed with the Broncos, but now makes his way to the Steelers. He totaled 26 tackles, three TFLs, one sack and seven passes defended before dislocating his right ankle last year. The Steelers correspondingly waived DE KJ Henry.

“Sometimes I am a little irritated with my situation,” Mims added. “But at the end of the day, I’m blessed to be where I am.” The Jaylen Waddle trade has effectively blocked Mims from much chance of offensive snaps as he enters the final year of his rookie contract. At the same time, he’s such an explosive punt returner that the Broncos probably still see him as a roster lock. It’s not fully over for those of you hanging on in dynasty leagues, but it certainly doesn’t look promising in the short-term for Mims to put up any offensive volume.

Broncos OC Davis Webb will add elements to Denver’s offense this season. Last year, the Broncos attempted the sixth-fewest (51) passes thrown 10-plus yards downfield and between the painted numbers. For reference, the league-leading Lions attempted 102 passes in this area of the field. Evans did not provide an average target depth in today’s report, but we are pleased to hear Webb is focusing on the middle of the field, regardless. Passes thrown in this area give the pass catcher more room to work, both before and after the catch, which helps them score fantasy points. Even a moderate increase in targets thrown to this area of the field would be great for QB Bo Nix and his pass catchers, like WR Jaylen Waddle and WR Courtland Sutton.