Broncos fantasy football outlook 2020: Potential sleepers in Denver
Jul 1, 2020, 6:45 AM
The Broncos have made moves after moves this offseason to add weapons to the offense. This has made Broncos Country incredibly excited about what this offense could be in 2020. Fans of the Broncos had to sit through a poor offense last year that scored just 17 points per game. This year, the Broncos could score around 24 points per game – a difference of a touchdown per game from the previous season.
Only 12 teams in the NFL scored 24 or more points in 2019. For the Broncos to make that jump into the 24-PPG club these new pieces on offense will have to play at a high level. This would be good news for Broncos fans, but it would also be good news for fantasy football GMs.
With fantasy football drafts going on right now, (yes, this early) it’s interesting to note how the fantasy community is looking at the 2020 Broncos. In this series, we’ll look at the current ADP (average draft position) in 12-team PPR leagues for the Broncos offensive players at Footballguys.com. For those of you that don’t know, I have worked for Footballguys.com since 2005 and it’s where you can find all my fantasy football opinions.
Today, we look at three potential sleepers on the Broncos offense. These players are not getting drafted in most 12-team PPR leagues, but they could become fantasy factors with certain occurrences. Who are these players you need to keep on your waiver wire speed dial? Let’s take a look.
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Royce Freeman | RB7 | Undrafted
During the last two seasons, Royce Freeman was supposed to be the starter and lead back for the Broncos. A third-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Freeman was a stud running back at Oregon and was expected to be a star in the NFL. Instead of becoming that player the team expected him to be, however, Freeman got banged up and lost his starting job to 2018 undrafted free agent Phillip Lindsay. He lost his job, perhaps lost his confidence and now is third on the depth chart behind Melvin Gordon and Lindsay.
Freeman is still a 230-pound back who can grind down opponents. He has good burst with the ball in his hands and does not shy away from contact between the tackles. Freeman has the power to push the pile and could be used effectively as a goal-line runner – especially with the team’s new interior offensive line.
While he has disappointed as a runner, Freeman has looked better than expected as a receiver out of the backfield. He’s so smooth as a receiving back that he could carve out a small role with that as his primary function. It’s not much of a fantasy-relevant role and Freeman won’t be on fantasy GM radars unless there’s an injury or two above him on the depth chart. One injury makes Freeman at least flex-worthy for fantasy GMs.
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K.J. Hamler | WR7| Undrafted
The Broncos did something few expected when they went back-to-back wide receivers in the first two rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft. They added Jerry Jeudy from Alabama in the first round and followed that up by selecting K.J. Hamler out of Penn State in the second round. The Broncos wanted more speed on offense, and they get just that with both players. While Jeudy is going to be the No. 2 receiver opposite of Courtland Sutton, Hamler will be the slot receiver and No. 3 on the depth chart.
Hamler is a small wide receiver and he operates primarily out of the slot (616 out of 694 snaps were from that position in 2019). The rookie is lightning quick and can make defenders look silly after the catch. Hamler also has legit speed, likely 4.2 type of speed, but he was unable to show off that speed at the Scouting Combine due to a hamstring injury. You can’t overthrow Hamler because of his speed and extra gear when he finds the ball in the air on a deep pass.
Hamler did lead all FBS players with 12 drops last year, but the Broncos feel that was due to him trying to do too much before the catch was secured. He is a small target and has a small catch radius compared to players like Sutton or Jeudy. If quarterback Drew Lock has the breakout season that many are predicting, then there’s going to be enough production to go around for all the three top wide receivers on the roster. Hamler is considered a WR7 in fantasy circles, but he could be at least a “what the heck” flex play on a weekly basis if Lock “pops” the way Broncos fans want him to in 2020.
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Albert Okwuegbunam | TE4 | Undrafted
Albert Okwuegbunam was a favorite target of Lock in college at Missouri. In two seasons, Okwuegbunam caught a whopping 17 touchdown passes from Lock. They have a clear chemistry that should be able to immediately be seen now that they’re pro teammates.
Okwuegbunam measures in at 6-feet, 5-inches and is the fastest tight end on the roster. He has a basketball skill set which allows him to use his frame to easily box out smaller defenders. There are some in the scouting community who feel Okwuegbunam would’ve been a top-50 pick had he come out with Lock in 2019. Instead, he stayed in college for one more year and wasn’t as productive.
Now, Okwuegbunam is back with Lock and will push starting tight end Noah Fant. If Fant falters in his second season, the Broncos might have another option behind him they can trust. Okwuegbunam has speed, hands, fluidity at the catch point and rapport with Lock. He could see the field enough as the Broncos’ second tight end to have a productive year out of empty sets, four-receiver sets, and two-tight end sets as a seam threat and rebounder.
