QB Bo Nix
(2025 QB Rank: 11, 19.0 FPts/G)
Statistically, Nix was remarkably similar from Year 1 to Year
2 -- he passed for 156 more yards, rushed for 74 fewer, and accounted
for 30 total touchdowns (down from 34 as a rookie). The results
were better as Denver came within a win of the Super Bowl, but
Nix suffered a broken ankle in the AFC Divisional Round and missed
the team's loss to New England the following week. He should be
fully recovered when training camp rolls around, and he's firmly
entrenched as the starter.
Although he's entering just his third year in the NFL, Nix is
matured at age 26 (for comparison, Jordan Love, who is entering
Year 7, is 27), so it's fair to wonder how much more development
we can expect to see from the former first-round pick. To their
credit, the Broncos continued trying to add talent around their
signal caller, acquiring Jaylen Waddle during the offseason to
pair him with Courtland Sutton on the outside.
From a fantasy perspective, the issue with Nix is consistency.
In 17 starts last year, Nix threw one or fewer TD passes in 11
of them, and he ran for fewer than 25 yards a dozen times. So,
while he carries a high ceiling each week, his production too
often fell below that mark. Nix enters 2026 as a fringe starting
candidate that's better suited as a high-end reserve.
RB RJ Harvey
(2025 RB Rank: 27, 10.9 FPts/G)
When J.K. Dobbins was healthy, Harvey filled a complementary
role, logging fewer than 10 carries in nine of his first 10 games.
Once the veteran got hurt, though, the rookie stepped in. The
results were decidedly mixed. Harvey proved adept when it came
to finding the end zone, scoring a dozen times, including five
as a receiver. He found little room to maneuver, however, averaging
just 3.7 yards per carry on the year with 10 games where he averaged
3.0 yards per carry or less. Of his 146 rushing attempts, just
three were for more than 15 yards.
He enters his second season in very much the same position as
he and Dobbins are expected to share the load, at least while
Dobbins is available, which history says won't be for all 17 games.
We know the explosiveness is there, but what will his workload
look like, especially after the team went out and added Waddle
to bolster the passing game. Harvey carries a bit more value than
Dobbins, and he holds more upside, but he's not a top 30 fantasy
back at this point. Target him as a midrange RB3 or flex option
and hope for a second-year leap.
RB J.K. Dobbins
(2025 RB Rank: 25, 11.0 FPts/G)
Everyone knows the story with Dobbins. He burst onto the scene
as a rookie in 2020, averaging a ridiculous 6.0 yards per carry
and scoring nine times. In five years since, injuries have conspired
to limit him to an average of 6.4 games per season. In 2025, his
first campaign with the Broncos, he lasted 10 games before suffering
a Lisfranc tear that necessitated season-ending surgery. It was
just the latest in a laundry list of lower-body injuries that
have permanently altered his career trajectory.
When healthy (always the critical phrase when discussing Dobbins),
the former Ohio State standout can still be effective, compiling
77.2 yards per game on the ground and successfully keeping the
talented Harvey in a secondary role. He's a ticking time bomb
in terms of availability, however, and is a complete non-factor
in the passing game, which could be a bigger issue in 2026 after
the Broncos spent considerable resources to upgrade that aspect
of the offense. Dobbins is worth grabbing as your No. 4 back,
but don't be shy about flipping him for another asset if he gets
off to a strong start.
WR Jaylen Waddle
(2025 WR Rank: 28, 10.1 FPts/G)
After five years with the Dolphins, Waddle arrives in Denver
via a pre-draft deal that sent a first- and third-round picks
to Miami along with a swap of fourth-round selections. The hope
is that a change of scenery will jump-start Waddle's career as
his numbers have trailed off after opening his career with a trio
of 1,000-plus-yard efforts.
It's not the easiest scenario to untangle. After serving as a
volume target as a rookie, Waddle benefitted immeasurably from
the arrival of Tyreek Hill, posting a career-best 1,356 yards
and 8 TDs. He hasn't come close to matching that in three years
since. Certainly, the regression of Tua Tagovailoa, which led
to an eventual benching, played a role, but when Hill got injured
last September, Waddle offered middling production as the new
WR1. In Denver, he'll be paired with a solid quarterback in Nix
and figures to be part of a 1a/1b situation with Sutton.
There are question marks for fantasy owners to consider with
Waddle entering 2026. Can he really be a go-to receiver or is
he more Robin than Batman? How quickly will he integrate with
Nix, who has been working with Sutton and Troy Franklin since
he came into the league? Will he ever approach his 2022 production
again? While Waddle offers WR2 upside, he's a safer choice as
your WR3.
WR Courtland Sutton
(2025 WR Rank: 23, 10.6 FPts/G)
For a while it seemed like Sutton was destined to finish his
Broncos tenure last season, but he inked an extension last July
to remain with the club. He rewarded the team with the third 1,000-yard
season of his career and second in a row. Sutton has never had
a truly huge year, though, topping out at 1,112 yards back in
2019, and the addition of Waddle figures to eat into the veteran's
numbers.
How much Waddle, and an emerging Franklin, undercut Sutton's
production remains to be seen, but don't forget the team also
spent a third-round pick on Pat Bryant last year, and his role
expanded as the 2025 season wore on. What works in Sutton's favor
is his size. At 6-foot-4, 216 pounds, the 30-year-old wideout
is taller and thicker than Waddle, Franklin, or Bryant, and that
should continue to make him a presence in the red zone -- he has
25 TDs over the past three seasons.
Although Sutton should continue to fill a featured role, the
Broncos haven't made all these additions through the trade market
and draft not to use them, and it seems likely that Sutton's output
will take a step back in 2026. Consider him a midrange WR3 with
a bit of risk.
WR Troy Franklin
(2025 WR Rank: 47, 8.3 FPts/G)
The fallout of the Waddle acquisition probably most adversely
affects Franklin, who was the club's second-most productive wideout
in 2025 (65-709-6 on 104 targets, second only to Sutton's 124).
Now, Franklin looks like he'll man the slot in three-receiver
sets, and even within that he'll need to fend off Bryant, who
is entering Year 2, for playing time. Considering that Nix already
led the NFL in passing attempts a year ago, the idea that the
Broncos will throw markedly more seems dubious, which means a
redistribution of targets is the more likely outcome.
Before the trade, you could've made a case for Franklin as a
possible WR5. Now, he's unlikely to offer appreciable value in
standard formats. Those in deeper leagues can consider stashing
him with a late-round flier, but barring injuries to Waddle or
Sutton, his ceiling looks fairly low.
TE Evan Engram
(2025 TE Rank: 38, 4.9 FPts/G)
While the Broncos have made a lot of good personnel decisions
during their quick turnaround, the signing of Engram to a two-year,
$23 million deal hasn't been one of them. Just one season removed
from a 114-catch, 963-yard effort for the Jags, Engram was a dud
in Denver, managing 461 yards and one TD on 50 receptions in 2025
while splitting time with Adam Trautman – Engram played 458 snaps
to 651 for Trautman, who is more of a blocker.
Looking at the current roster, it's hard to see where things
get better for Engram following the addition of Waddle and selection
of Justin Joly, who is another receiving tight end that the team
traded up to select in the fifth round. If Denver feels Joly can
add some juice to a group that averaged fewer than 10 yards per
catch and scored just three times a season ago, Engram could see
his role shrink even further. He's not worth selecting.
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