2026 Team Outlook: Denver Broncos
RB J.K. Dobbins, DEN - Fantasy Handcuff
Dobbins' injury luck continued to work against him. Just one game into 2023 (10 touches, 37 combined yards, a touchdown, and two catches), he suffered a torn Achilles, ending his year before it had barely begun. It was another devastating blow for a player who has spent more time in the training room than on the field in recent years. The Chargers had taken a flier on him in 2024, signing him to a modest $1.6 million deal, and he rewarded their patience early. Dobbins opened his Los Angeles tenure with back-to-back impressive outings (10 carries for 135 yards and a touchdown in his debut), followed by 17 carries for 131 yards and another score the following week. The production cooled over the next eight games (125 carries, 460 yards, 6 touchdowns at 3.7 YPC, with 21 catches for 111 yards), but he remained a reliable short- yardage and goal-line option. A left MCL sprain in Week 12 cost him four games, but he returned with a strong Week 17 (19/76/1) and a volume role the following week (21 touches, 75 combined yards, and three catches) before an ankle issue cut his postseason short. It was a season full of flashes and interruptions, a theme that has defined his NFL career. Dobbins played well over his first 10 games with Denver, leading to him averaging 16.4 touches and 81 yards while picking up four touchdowns and 11 catches. He scored between 11.50 and 15.50 fantasy points
(PPR) in six matchups. A foot injury pushed him to the bench for the Broncos’ final seven games. Fantasy Outlook: Denver signed him to a one-year deal for $8 million in April, while also having a team option for 2027 for the same total. Dobbins will get 15 rushing attempts per game, with goal-line chances while healthy. He deserves some breaks, as his talent should have led to a better overall NFL career. Dobbins brings a backend RB3 ADP (107) in the high-stakes market in mid-June.
RB Jonah Coleman, DEN - Super Sleeper (high risk/potential)
Coleman split his college career between Arizona and Washington, developing into one of the more productive backs in his class. He broke out in 2023 with the Wildcats,1,154 combined yards, 6 touchdowns, and 25 catches on 153 touches (7.5 yards per opportunity), before his best season came the following year at Washington, where he rushed for 1,053 yards and 10 touchdowns on 193 carries while adding 23 catches for 177 yards. His final college season showed some erosion in yards per carry (4.9) on 156 rushes for 758 yards, but he compensated with a career-high 15 rushing touchdowns, two receiving scores, and improved pass-catching production (31 catches, 354 yards, and 11.4 per reception). He came out of the gate blazing in 2025 with back-to-back monster performances (24 carries for 177 yards and a score in Week 1, then 15 carries for 111 yards and 5 touchdowns in Week 2), before a knee issue limited him to a minimal role over three late-season contests (5/2, 4/6/1, and 9/22). At 5'8" and 220 pounds, Coleman is a compact, low-to-the-ground runner who works in short strides and relies on jump cuts and lateral quickness to create space before he ever reaches the line of scrimmage. He's not a burner, but he plays with physicality in the open field, bouncing off tacklers and fighting for extra yards rather than going down on first contact.
His concern at the next level is his tendency to gear down in tight spaces, which could lead to more negative plays in an NFL environment where escape routes are harder to come by. On the positive side, his pass protection is sound, which should keep him on the field in passing situations and make him a viable three-down candidate if the rest of his game develops. Fantasy Outlook: The Broncos picked up Coleman in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He provides both early and pass-catching coverage, with the hopes of securing one of those portions of the Broncos' running back opportunity in his rookie season. His fresher legs could be a problem for J.K. Dobbins. Coleman falls into the sleeper/handcuff category this draft season. If he gets both, Denver will give him all he can handle over the back half of the season.
WR Troy Franklin, DEN - Deep-league Only
Franklin was one of the most productive receivers in the Pac-12 during his three seasons at Oregon, catching 160 passes for 2,483 yards and 25 touchdowns. His best work came alongside Bo Nix — 61 catches for 891 yards and nine touchdowns in their first season together, followed by 81 catches for 1,383 yards and 14 scores the next. His yards per catch climbed every year (11.6, 14.6, and 17.1), and in 2023, he topped 100 yards in eight games, with multiple touchdown performances becoming routine. Denver selected him in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. At 6'2" with a 4.4 forty, the physical tools are easy to get excited about, though he came into the league at 175 pounds, and filling out his frame will be a key developmental milestone. When he's at his best, Franklin releases off the line with purpose, has the feel to set up defenders in open space, and wins at all three levels. His hands grade out well, and physical corners can slow his release but rarely neutralize him entirely. His ceiling here is legitimate once the body catches up to the talent. His rookie season lacked punch. Franklin had two catches or fewer in 16 of his 17 games, with his best outing coming in Week 7 (5/50). His catch rate (52.8%) and yards per reception (9.4) were both underwhelming, and the deep connection he had with Nix in college never materialized in Denver. It was a developmental year more than
anything, and the tools are still there, but he has work to do before living up to his collegiate billing. In his sophomore season, Franklin secured WR2 snaps (53.8%), leading to him more than doubling his rookie production (65/721/6 on 104 targets). His catch rate (62.5%) was much improved, but he did most of his work close to the line of scrimmage (10.9 yards per catch). Franklin ended the year ranked 31st among wide receivers in PPR fantasy points (178.50). He flashed explosive upside in three games (8/100/1, 6/89/2, and 6/88/1) but scored over 10.00 fantasy points in only four other matchups (3/19/1, 5/40/1, 4/84, and 4/66). Denver gave him double-digit targets in two contests. Fantasy Outlook: Last season, I had Franklin as a backend breakout deep sleeper, and he played into that thought process. The Broncos' developing third wideout suggested earlier in the 2026 offseason that he wanted to come into this season at over 190 lbs. Regression should be expected in his outlook this year due to Jaylen Waddle being added to the wide receiver rotation. His direction puts him on a path to replace Courtland Sutton in this offense down the road, and Franklin could almost be treated as a handcuff to the Broncos' two lead wideouts in 2026. His ADP (223) in the NFFC in mid-June suggests the high-stakes fantasy market is writing him off as a viable fantasy option; 70 other wide receivers get drafted before him. The Broncos could easily shift targets from the tight end position (113 in 2025) to Franklin this year. My starting point is 50 catches for 600 yards with at least five scores.
WR Pat Bryant, DEN - Sleeper (undervalued)
HIGH PRAISE: Pat Surtain II highly praised teammate Pat Bryant, describing him as a versatile and complete player capable of excelling in route running, blocking, and making consistent, high-level plays. Surtain emphasized that Bryant's daily performance in practice significantly elevates the offense and confidently predicts a successful career for him.
Bryant's name started showing up as the third wide receiver off the board in some early high-stakes drafts in 2025, which was enough to warrant a closer look. Denver selected him in the third round of the 2025
NFL Draft after three progressively better college seasons — 34 catches for 453 yards and 2 touchdowns, then 43 for 560 and seven scores, and finally a breakout 54-catch, 984-yard, and 10-touchdown campaign in 2024. His yards per catch told a similar story, jumping from 13.2 over his first two seasons to 18.2 in his final year. His physical profile is intriguing. At 6'2" and 205 pounds, Bryant has the frame to eventually step into Courtland Sutton's role as Denver's big, physical outside receiver. He won't get there on speed alone (his 4.61 forty at the Combine was pedestrian), but that's not really his game. Bryant wins with his hands, his release off the line, and increasingly polished route running. The next step is proving those skills hold up against NFL cornerbacks, who will be a significant step up from what he faced in college. Bryant projects as a red-zone asset who can improve Denver's touchdown production near the goal line, a valuable commodity in any offense. In his rookie season, Bryant underperformed fantasy draft expectations due to Troy Franklin jumping to WR2 in the Broncos' offense. He caught 31 of his 49 targets for 378 yards and one score across 15 games. His only fantasy value came in two matchups (2/40/1 and 5/82). Bryant missed time late in the season and the playoffs with hamstring and concussion issues. Fantasy Outlook: This season, Bryant will work in a rotational WR4 role, putting him on the back burner in the fantasy market. His role and opportunity should be relatively clear heading into 2026. When Denver is playing from the lead, they want to run the ball in the second half. Bryant will be on the field to help execute that plan. Unfortunately, this situational usage leads to weakness in his pass-catching opportunity.
WR Marvin Mims, DEN - Deep-league Only
Mims is a big-play receiver built around elite athleticism, a 4.38 forty, and sharp quickness that Denver wants to deploy all over their
formation. His areas that need development are his route running and his ability to win against press coverage at the line, both of which will determine how quickly he can become a reliable option rather than a situational one. At 5'11" and 185 pounds, adding bulk would also help him compete in contested catch situations. His three seasons at Oklahoma showed what he can do when given space to work. Mims caught 123 of 183 targets for 2,398 yards and 20 touchdowns, averaging a remarkable 19.5 yards per reception. His best season came in 2022 (54 catches for 1,083 yards and 6 touchdowns), headlined by a pair of explosive performances (7/163/2 and 5/162/2). Consistency was the one knock; outside of those two games, he topped five catches just once all season (9/106). The boom-or-bust nature of his college production will be something Denver monitors closely as he transitions to the NFL, where defensive coordinators will scheme specifically to take away his deep-threat ability. Mims flashed his upside early in 2023, catching seven passes for 233 yards and a touchdown on just nine targets between Weeks 2 and 4, a pace that had fantasy managers taking notice. Denver never built on it. Over the final 13 games, he managed only 13 catches for 135 yards on 22 targets, finishing the year with a WR4 snap share (39.9%) and little to show for his early promise. His 2024 season followed a similar script. Through the first 10 games, Mims was largely invisible (11 catches for 69 yards on 19 targets, with 4 rushes for 34 yards mixed in). Then came another burst. Over his final seven games, he averaged just under 5 targets per contest but turned them into 15.46 fantasy points per game in PPR formats, fueled by three explosive performances (3/109/1, 8/103/2, and 5/51/2). The frustrating part is that Denver never rewarded that production with a larger role. His snap counts over that stretch (16, 23, 16, 30, 28, and 23) kept Mims buried as the fifth option in their receiver rotation, making
it nearly impossible to trust him week to week despite the big-play ability he continued to flash when given the chance. The change in wide receiver depth and rotation for the Broncos in 2025 led to Mims being used closer to the line of scrimmage as a gimmick player. He gained a career-low 8.7 yards per catch with a similar opportunity (37/322/1 on 51 targets) as in 2024, albeit with fewer receiving yards. Denver handed him the ball 12 times in the run game, leading to 78 yards and one more score. His fantasy value came in Week 4 (6/85/1), Week 7 (6/98), and Week 20 (8/93/1), all of which came at home. Fantasy Outlook: Mims ended last season fourth in wide receiver snaps (464), just behind Pat Bryant (487). The addition of Jaylen Waddle pushes him down one more notch, making him undraftable in the fantasy market. At age 24, there's still upside in his game, but that requires a much better opportunity. Mims returns kicks, which does enhance the value of the Broncos' defense in the fantasy market.
TE Justin Joly, DEN - Dynasty Only
Joly put together a productive four-year college career split between Connecticut and North Carolina State, totaling 166 catches for 1,978 yards and 15 touchdowns across 49 games. He set a career high in receptions (56) over 12 games at UConn in 2023, then peaked in receiving yards (661) and touchdowns (7) over his two seasons with the Wolfpack. His best individual performance came against Pittsburgh last season (six catches for 101 yards and two scores), and Joly caught five or more passes in 12 games throughout his career. He won't check every box NFL teams look for at tight end. At 6'3" and 240 pounds, Joly is undersized for the position, and his speed is more in line with a plodding possession receiver than an athletic mismatch weapon. Joly won't be running away from linebackers after the catch. Blocking is another area that will need significant development before he can be trusted as an in-line starter. What Joly does bring is reliability and feel. His route running is polished and consistent; he has a natural instinct for finding soft spots in zone coverage, and his hands are good enough to win in traffic and on high- point catches. There's a real floor here, and with better coaching and
continued reps, his ceiling could quietly rise. Within the second tier of this draft class at tight end, Joly stands out as an intriguing developmental pass catcher, the kind of player who could carve out a legitimate role if given time to grow into it.
