Fantasy Stock Up, Stock Down: Denver Broncos

Welcome back to the “Fantasy Stock Up, Stock Down” series (offseason edition). We are going to continue to evaluate teams’ players whose stock is up and whose stock is down before free agency and the draft start later in the offseason. A lot can change before next season, and there will be a ton of turnover before September comes around. As always, I want to reiterate that we will break down each NFL team throughout this series. We have broken down a few teams now at this point. Click on their links at the bottom of the page if you missed them. Today is all about the Denver Broncos. 

STOCK UP – JAVONTE WILLIAMS

There was a ton of hype surrounding Williams going into his rookie season. He was fresh off a prolific college career at North Carolina, and Denver selected him in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft to partner him up with Melvin Gordon in the backfield. Williams was selected after Najee Harris and Travis Etienne, making him the third running back off the board. And yet, he has an opportunity to establish a better career than both of them. 

Gordon is set to be a free agent this offseason, and it would be hard to imagine Denver bringing him back. The 28-year-old veteran back is coming off a season where he received 203 carries for 918 yards and eight touchdowns. He also hauled in 28 receptions for 213 yards and two more touchdowns. It’s safe to say that a team will be willing to pay him a good chunk of cash this offseason to leave Denver. That’s exactly what you want if you drafted Williams in your rookie draft last year. Williams and Gordon served as a one-two punch during the 2021 season. They received the exact same amount of carries (203), and Williams carried the ball 15 yards fewer than Gordon did and with four fewer rushing touchdowns. He was more involved than Gordon as a pass-catcher though, as he hauled in 43 receptions for 316 yards and three touchdowns. 

We received a glimpse of what Williams can do as the workhorse back for this team when Gordon missed Week 13 against the Chiefs. The rookie back received a season-high 23 carries, as he turned in 102 yards on the ground, while also snagging six of his nine targets for 76 yards and a touchdown as well. He served as the RB1 in both Full PPR and Half PPR leagues and the RB2 in standard leagues. Imagine what he could do in a full 17-game season without Gordon in 2022. If you currently have Williams on your Dynasty team, HOLD ON FOR DEAR LIFE! If you don’t have him, do what you can to try and swoop him away from someone else. You don’t want to be sitting here next offseason thinking “what if?”

Other Notables: Tim Patrick, Albert Okwuegbunam

STOCK DOWN – JERRY JEUDY

Going into his sophomore season, Jeudy had a ton of hype surrounding him. The Broncos and many from the fantasy community expected a breakout leap from the former first-round pick after a decent rookie season. That wasn’t the case at all. After a terrific start to the season in Week 1 against the Giants, where he hauled in six of his seven targets for 72 yards, Jeudy suffered a serious ankle injury. There were speculations that he would possibly miss the remainder of the season. Instead, he was able to return in Week 8 and play the remainder of the year. 

During his time off the field, we saw the reemergence of Courtland Sutton and the emergence of Tim Patrick. In Weeks 2-7, Sutton hauled in 37 receptions for 525 yards and two touchdowns. During that same span, Patrick hauled in 23 receptions for 321 yards and two touchdowns as well. They both received contract extensions shortly after Jeudy returned from injury. It’s safe to say that all three receivers struggled with consistency once Jeudy returned in Week 8. For instance, during Weeks 8-18, Patrick served as the WR59, Jeudy served as the WR63, and Sutton served as the WR86 during that span (PPR scoring).

Jeudy is worth keeping on your Dynasty team if you truly believe in him, but it doesn’t look like he’ll earn the chance to be a true WR1 for the Broncos anytime soon. Sutton’s extension runs through 2026, and Patrick is now under contract until 2025, which is the same for Jeudy. Keep in mind, Denver also has two solid pass-catching tight ends in Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam. They are both under contract until 2024. Then there’s also the talented pass-catching back in Williams, who we analyzed above. Surely his targets and receptions will increase without Gordon as well. Even if Denver goes out and trades for Aaron Rodgers or something, it is quite possible that Jeudy would be a key piece in a trade like that. Right now, there isn’t a ton of optimism for Jeudy, and you could possibly receive a good return for him in a trade based on his name alone. 

Other Notables: Noah Fant, K.J. Hamler

Teams Broken Down Already: Bears, Bengals, Bills

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