Pat

Bryant

Bryant had three catches for 32 yards on the first drive and looked set to be a huge part of this offensive gameplan. However, he suffered a concussion when his helmet hit the ground after his final catch. Lil’Jordan Humphrey took his place but dropped a touchdown catch on the first drive.

Bryant’s team-high five targets accurately depict the Broncos’ offensive successes and failures today. Although they came away with a win, and the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed, it was an underwhelming outing. Broncos head coach Sean Payton tried to get Bryant into the end zone on the team’s first drive by calling a screen pass for him from the Chargers’ five-yard line. He was stopped just two yards past the line of scrimmage. Bryant is on bye next week.

The Broncos will have their rookie wide receiver on the field as they attempt to retain the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed this week. Bryant has finished exactly as the half-PPR WR45 in each of his last three games and can be treated as a WR4 accordingly this week.

Bryant is progressing through the NFL’s concussion protocol and should be able to play in Week 18 against the Chargers, though the Chargers are expected to rest some starters, which could result in an easy run-heavy win for the Broncos. The Broncos (13-3) currently hold the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed. They can retain it with a win.

Bryant suffered a scary concussion in the Broncos’ Week 16 loss to the Jaguars. He missed last week’s game but has a shot at returning for Week 18 against the Chargers. Denver needs a win to secure the No. 1 seed. Bryant would be a deep cut DFS option if he clears concussion protocol in time.

Greenlaw was ruled out for the Christmas showdown with Kansas City after suffering a non-contact injury against the Jags. Bryant was unable to clear the concussion protocol, so he’ll also miss Thursday’s divisional battle.

Bryant was taken off the field on a stretcher last week after taking a brutal hit while leaping for a Bo Nix pass. He was immediately sent to the hospital. Thankfully, they only diagnosed him with a concussion. Bryant could miss more than just Week 17, but a return for the playoffs is at least on the table. Troy Franklin will continue to operate as the team’s No. 2 for the final week of the fantasy football season. He will be a boom/bust WR3 versus a Chiefs squad that has all but given up on the season.

Very rare that we see a player clear the concussion protocol to play on a short-week Thursday. Even rarer that we see a player who was actually stretchered off the field play on a short-week Thursday. We expect plenty of Marvin Mims and Lil’Jordan Humphrey against the Chiefs on Thursday, is what we’re saying.

This makes sense after Bryant was subject to a debilitating hit late in the team’s Week 16 loss to the Jaguars, requiring immobilization and the cart to be removed from the field. We wouldn’t expect him to clear concussion protocol in time to appear against the Chiefs in Week 17, although fantasy managers will want to monitor his status the rest of the week.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Legwold, Bryant was diagnosed with a concussion “but cleared of other major injuries” after leaving on a stretcher in Week 16’s loss to the Jaguars. Bryant was also tested for a neck injury, but those tests came back negative, per Legwold. Bryant is probably a long shot to clear concussion protocol in time to be ready for Week 17’s game against the Chiefs, but it sounds like he avoided all serious injuries.