2026 Team Outlook: Denver Broncos

4. QB Bo Nix, DEN - Sleeper (undervalued)

Denver's offensive line held up well in Nix's rookie season, limiting him to 24 sacks, and the scheme leaned on the running back dump-off heavily (96 such plays). However, those receivers averaged just 5.5 yards per catch, underscoring the need for a more explosive pass- catching back out of the backfield. It's a dynamic Sean Payton had at his disposal for years in New Orleans, and one Denver has yet to fully replicate. The first four weeks of last season raised real questions. Nix averaged 34.5 pass attempts per game but managed only 660 passing yards (165 per game), with a single touchdown against four interceptions and a 60.1% completion rate. His legs provided some relief (23 carries, 110 Teams RATT YDS Run% ATT YDS Pass% Plays Yards Denver Broncos 456 2018 0.427 613 3931 0.573 1069 5949

yards, and two TDs), but it wasn't enough to quiet the concern surrounding his long-term fit. What followed was a remarkable turnaround. From Week 8 through the postseason, Nix was one of the better quarterbacks in football (2,891 combined yards, 26 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions over 11 games), completing 69.0% of his 365 attempts. He threw for 300-plus yards twice (307/4 TD and 321/4 TD, both at home), posted at least two touchdown passes in eight games, and reached three or more scores five times. The home/road split is worth following. Nix averaged 7.6 yards per attempt at home with 19 passing touchdowns, compared to just 5.9 yards per attempt on the road with 11 scores, a meaningful gap that defenses will look to exploit. Nix finished last year ranked seventh in fantasy points (357.45) in four- point passing touchdown leagues. His passing opportunity increased by 7.4%, but his passing touchdowns (25) and completion rate (63.4%) declined. Nix had a slight pullback in the run game (83/356/5). The black mark on his 2025 resume was 11 games with one pass touchdown or fewer over his 17 starts. His top five days in fantasy points all came at home (42.75, 32.10, 30.00, 27.85, and 27.35) across 10 matchups. Nix finished with 12 combined touchdowns on the road (eight games) while averaging only 208 passing yards. His season ended in the playoffs due to a right ankle injury that required surgery. Fantasy Outlook: The Broncos brought in Jaylen Waddle to improve the front end of their wide receiver depth, but the luster in his ceiling has lost its shine over the past two seasons. In addition, Evan Engram played poorly in his first year in Denver's offense. Sean Payton wants to grind out first downs via the pass, and he has the best defense of his coaching career. Nix slipped to QB16 in the early

draft season in the National Fantasy Football Championship. To be a trusted week-to-week starter, he must play better on the road, make bigger plays, and increase his completion rate. His floor should be 4,500 combined yards and 30 touchdowns, while understanding Nix could be significantly better in his third year in the NFL.

14. RB RJ Harvey, DEN - Sleeper (undervalued)

Sometimes, fantasy rankings just come down to straight Math. - Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey is a high-upside system play driven by an elite combination of workload and pass-catching volume. In Sean Payton's offense, running backs are heavily utilized in the passing game, giving Harvey a massive weekly floor. Coming off a strong rookie season, he is projected to eclipse 50 receptions this year while handling a heavy share of the backfield touches. Fantasy managers backing his RB15 ranking are investing in this guaranteed high-volume role, making him a premier dual-threat asset in PPR formats.

Many expected Denver to target a running back in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. They waited until round two to grab Harvey, who put together back-to-back dominant rushing seasons (226 carries for 1,416 yards and 16 touchdowns, followed by 232 carries for 1,577 yards and 22 scores). His receiving work was limited over that stretch, combining for just 19 catches, though he averaged an eye-catching 26.6 yards per reception with five touchdowns. His athleticism is genuine. Harvey ran a 4.40 forty at the 2025 NFL Combine, confirming the explosiveness his tape suggested. At 5'8" and 205 pounds, he plays bigger than his frame, leaning on power rather than elusiveness to churn out early yards. He has a patient, tempo- based running style, waiting for seams to open before unleashing his acceleration, a trait that shows up most on stretch plays, where one crease can turn into a big gain in a hurry. His concerns are real. Harvey turned 24 before his first NFL snap, which is worth factoring into any long-term projection as part of Denver's backfield build. A torn ACL in 2021 is also on the medical record. His pass protection needs work, and his ceiling as a receiver remains uncertain, two areas that could limit his role on passing downs early in his career. His profile is that of a between-the-tackles workhorse with home run ability, but how quickly he can become a complete three-down back will determine his true ceiling in Denver's offense. Over his first 10 games with the Broncos, Harvey had fewer than 10 touchdowns in nine games. Despite his low opportunity, he scored eight times, with better than expected value catching the ball (25/175/4). Denver upped his touches over their final nine matchups after J.K. Dobbins went down with an injury, but Harvey struggled to find space in the run game (115/383/5 – 3.3 yards per rush). The Broncos continued to give him chances to catch the ball (31/249/1 on 41 targets).

His body of work led to Harvey ranking 20th in PPR fantasy points (207.70), highlighted by four 20.0 fantasy point games (24.10, 21.20, 22.00, and 22.10). Fantasy Outlook: In the latter part of June, in the National Fantasy Football Championship (ADP of 95), Harvey draws an RB35 ranking, which is below his fantasy rookie expectations and his final stats. I see value while on a path to getting 15 touches per game. Let's go with 1,000 combined yards with 10 scores and 50 catches.

23. PK Wil Lutz, DEN - Deep-league Only

Lutz was one of the more reliable kickers in the league from 2017 to 2020, converting 87.7% of 130 field goal attempts while going 204-for- 210 on extra points. A serious abdominal injury wiped out his entire 2021 season, and he came back diminished in 2022, just 74.2% on field goals (23-for-30), while remaining perfect on all 33 extra point tries. Denver gave him a fresh start, and he's made the most of it. Over the past three seasons with the Broncos, Lutz has rebounded to 89.0% on field goals (89-for-100) and has been nearly automatic on extra points (just five misses in 309 attempts over the past seven years). His career mark from 50-plus yards sits at 29-for-47, a respectable rate from distance. Last season, Denver's offense generated 45 touchdowns and 32 field goal opportunities, giving him a workload below that of a winning kicker. Fantasy Outlook: Lutz enters the draft season as the 18th-ranked kicker. After finishing sixth in fantasy scoring in 2024 (171.60 points), he slipped to 17th last season (141.70). With Denver's offense trending upward heading into 2026, more scoring opportunities should follow, making him a reasonable target in the later rounds as a kicker with an established role and matchup value.

24. WR Jaylen Waddle, DEN - Solid/Safe Pick

Waddle opened his NFL career with three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. He set career highs in catches in his rookie campaign (104/1,105/6 on 141 targets) while shifting into a more explosive role in 2022 (18.1 yards per catch – 9.8 in 2021) after the Dolphins added Tyreek Hill to their offense. As a result, Waddle set a career-best in

receiving yards (1,356) with 75 catches and eight touchdowns on 117 targets. His 2023 season (72/1,014,4 on 104 targets) was competitive when adding that Waddle missed three games. He offered the most fantasy value in Week 8 (7/121/1), Week 12 (8/114), and Week 15 (8/142/1), with the latter two coming against the Jets. Miami failed to get Waddle going in 2024, resulting in his worst season (58/744/2 on 83 targets) while missing two games. Between Week 1 (5/112) and Week 12 (8/144/1), he only had 28 catches for 298 yards and one score on 42 targets across nine games. Waddle flashed again in Week 14 (9/99) against the Jets, but a knee injury the following week led to a zero-day, followed by two missed starts. The Dolphins failed to give Waddle double-digit targets in any game in 2025. He had a floor of five catches in eight of his 16 starts, leading to over 10.00 PPR fantasy points in each matchup. His best fantasy value came in five contests (5/68/1, 6/110/1, 5/99/1, 5/84/1, and 5/71/1. A rib injury in Week 17 (0/0 with a seven-yard rush) forced him to miss Miami’s final game and a chance at his fourth 1,000-yard receiving season (64/910/6 on 100 targets). Fantasy Outlook: Waddle was the 24th-best wideout in PPR fantasy points (194.20) last season. Miami threw the ball 134 times fewer than Denver in 2025, creating 322 receptions (66 fewer than the Broncos) and 3,322 passing yards (3,931 for Denver). Based on this, Waddle moves to an offense that should give him a chance at 20% more chances in targets and overall production. On the downside, over the past three seasons, Waddle has had only 10 catches for 166 yards in weeks 16, 17, and 18 due to three injuries late in the year. Waddle is an intriguing wideout in the 2026 fantasy draft season. As the 25th wideout selected by ADP (47) in the National Fantasy Football

Championship, he only needs to match his last year’s stats to be a par player for his price point. His new home and opportunity paint a mid-tier WR2 player at minimum if Waddle can stay upright for 17 games. He brings speed and experience to Denver’s passing game, suggesting his best year since 2022. An 80/1,200/8 season is well within reach. For early BestBall drafters, there is value backed into the Broncos’ passing attack, highlighted by a favorable schedule over the back half of the season.

28. TE Evan Engram, DEN - Bust (overvalued)

Engram's 2022 season got off to a miserable start, with four straight underwhelming games (4/28, 7/46, 1/9, and 1/16) that looked like more of the same disappointing output. He turned it around over the next four weeks with 19 catches for 231 yards and a touchdown on 29 targets, hit another cold stretch (1/8, 3/14, and 1/4), then closed strong over his final four starts (5/30/1, 11/162/2, 8/62, and 7/133) to finish fifth in PPR tight end scoring at 176.90 points, a quietly solid finish given the rocky road to get there. Two distinct halves defined his 2023 season. Over his first 11 games, Engram posted 64 catches for 524 yards and zero touchdowns on 82 targets, productive in volume but dull in fantasy value, with short routes (8.4 yards per catch) and no scoring capped his ceiling. Christian Kirk's injury changed everything. Over the final four weeks, Engram became a focal point of the Jaguars' offense, delivering four high-volume, high- scoring performances (9/92/1, 11/95/2, 10/95, and 10/79/1) that launched him to second in PPR tight end scoring at 232.30 points. A hamstring issue after Week 1 (1/5 on 4 targets) cost him four starts in 2024, and while flashing in his return in Week 5 (10/102 on 10 targets), Engram never recaptured his 2023 form over the next seven games (36/258/1 on 50 targets). A torn labrum ended his season in mid- December. Surprisingly, a move to Denver didn't give Engram much of a fantasy boost last season. He played seven more than that in 2024 (47/364/1 on 64 targets) but finished last year with minimal increases in his stats

(50/461/1 on 76 targets). Engram finished 29th in PPR tight end scoring (102.80), while scoring fewer than 10.00 fantasy points in 17 of his 19 games. His only playable games came in Week 5 (4/33/1) and Week 13 (6/79). The Broncos gave him fewer than five targets in his final seven matchups. Fantasy Outlook: With a 40.2% snap count in 2025 and a fading NFL resume, Engram earned himself a trip to the lost and most likely not found aisle in fantasy drafts. He is the 35th-ranked tight end in mid-June in the National Fantasy Football Championship with a waiver wire ADP (249). He starts his 2026 comeback campaign at age 32 (on 9/2), suggesting Engram must play his way to fantasy relevance.

32. WR Courtland Sutton, DEN - Solid/Safe Pick

Sutton was steady if unspectacular through most of 2023. Over his first 14 games, he caught 58 of 85 targets for 770 yards and 10 touchdowns, a productive line, but one without a true blowup performance, as he never topped 95 yards in a single game and crossed 20.00 fantasy points just once (21.10). He did provide reliability, posting a 10.90-point floor in 13 of his 15 starts before a concussion and ankle issue limited him to just 33 snaps over the final three weeks. 2024 started with an adjustment period. Sutton and Bo Nix took time to develop chemistry, and their first six weeks gave fantasy drafters buyer's remorse (21 catches for 277 yards and two touchdowns on 47 targets), with a catch rate of just 44.7%. Denver didn't even get him a target in Week 7. What followed was a complete reversal. Over the next six games, Sutton was one of the most productive receivers in the league, reeling off six straight winning performances (8/100, 7/122, 6/70/1, 7/78, 8/97/2, and 6/102) while averaging 9.5 targets per game and converting them at a 73.7% clip. Sutton carried that momentum through his final five games (23 catches for 310 yards and three touchdowns on 40 targets), averaging 14.40 PPG in PPR formats. He closed the regular season with career highs in catches (81) and targets (135), finishing 11th in PPR wide receiver scoring with 241.60 fantasy points. The slow start cost him a shot at a top-10 finish, but the back half of his season was as good as any receiver in the league.

Fantasy drafters expected follow-through and repeated impact value in his second season with Bo Nix behind center. He dipped to 13th in PPF fantasy points (219.70) for the year, while seeing all of his stats drop slightly (74/1,017/7 on 124 targets). His season ended with only two 100-yard receiving games (6/118/1 and 7/113/1) while scoring between 15.00 and 20.00 fantasy points in four other contests (6/61/1, 8/99, 6/87, and 5/62/1). On his down days, Sutton had only one catch in four matchups. He closed out the year over four games, including the postseason, with uninspiring outcomes (4/40, 1/5, 4/53, and 3/17/1). Denver gave him double targets in six matchups, but Sutton turned in only one game with more than six catches. Fantasy Outlook: This draft season, Sutton has slipped to WR36 in early fantasy drafts in the NFFC due to the Broncos' acquiring Jaylen Waddle (WR25) and Denver having the appearance of a deeper wide receiver corps. His 2026 pricing should make him more attractive to drafters, as Sutton has the feel of a wideout who is more steady than explosive. He can have volume upside in some games and add some scoring, but his career resume doesn’t support a push to impact status. His baseline for this year still sits in the 70/1000/7 range, which was a backend WR2 in 2023 and 2024, but was worth more last season due to weaker overall quarterback play.