Broncos fantasy football outlook for Week 8 against Washington

The Denver Broncos return home trying to turn things around after a four-game slide. They have a game against the Washington Football Team on Sunday and there is a good possibility for them to get back on the winning track.

Fantasy general managers should be excited about starting their Broncos – and that’s not something you can say every week. The matchup is here for the Broncos to have a dominant performance on Sunday.

Here is advice for fantasy GMs considering starting Broncos players in Week 8.

***

Teddy Bridgewater – Low-end QB1/Streaming Option/DFS Stack

Denver should be able to do whatever they want to against Washington through the air. WFT has the No. 32 pass defense in the league, and even though they can rush – they can’t cover. This is where Teddy Bridgewater could have a game that makes him quite fantasy worthy.

Bridgewater is currently the No. 19 fantasy quarterback. That makes him a low-end QB2 in most leagues, and he’s mainly a streaming option in super-flex leagues.

Washington’s defense is so weak against the pass that Bridgewater should be able to push for QB1 numbers on Sunday. If you play DFS, then consider some Broncos stacks featuring Bridgewater and a combination of others from the passing attack. They’ll have cheaper prices than the stars in DFS, and that means you can pay up at other positions in Week 8.

***

Melvin Gordon – RB2/flex | Javonte Williams – RB2/flex

I could just cut and paste this section every week. Stop me if you’ve heard this before; the Broncos should use their running backs more. Melvin Gordon is playing good football, but he doesn’t get enough touches. Javonte Wiliams is playing good football, but he doesn’t get enough touches. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur stubbornly refuses to run the ball, insisting they don’t have the opportunity to do so – even in close games.

Last week, both Gordon and Williams scored touchdowns as receivers out of the backfield. Perhaps the way that they have increased fantasy value is if/when Shurmur calls plays that can feature them as receivers in space. Both are good receivers, and both are good in pass protection so that doesn’t tip off the defense whether a pass or a run is coming.

Washington is No. 14 against the run, but that might be because they’re so bad against the pass. Teams basically abandon the run because passing against Washington is so easy. Because of this matchup, don’t expect much on the ground from the Broncos duo but they could score fantasy points as receiving backs. That makes them both RB2/flex plays on Sunday.

***

Jerry Jeudy – WR2/flex | Courtland Sutton – WR2 with upside | Tim Patrick – “What the Heck” Flex

We get to see the return of Jerry Jeudy this week. He is a great route-runner and can get open against tough coverage. He’s not going to see tough coverage against Washington. That means Jeudy should be able to have a triumphant return in Week 8. It’s his first game back, so don’t go crazy and start him as a WR1 – but the upside is there for him to finish the game as a top-tier wide receiver on Sunday. I think the sweet spot to start Jeudy is as a WR2/flex play, so you have some wiggle room in case he is slow upon his return.

The return of Jeudy has the most impact on Tim Patrick, but it will impact the targets bound for Courtland Sutton as well. Sutton now is splitting the WR1 duties with Jeudy, and Bridgewater seemed to have built a strong chemistry with Sutton while Jeudy was out. With his size/speed combination, Sutton should be difficult for Washington to cover. Fantasy GMs can start him with confidence as a WR2 with WR1 upside.

Patrick now reverts to being no.3 in the pecking order. He can still produce from a fantasy perspective with this role, but he’s more of a “what the heck” flex play than a WR3/flex play like he normally was without Jeudy.

***

Noah Fant – Low-end TE1

Fantasy GMs might have better options than Noah Fant this week – even in a strong matchup. Washington gives up touchdowns through the air, but of the 25 touchdowns surrendered only two of those have gone to tight ends (Dawson Knox, Robert Tonyan).

Fant is not a good blocker. I hate to be blunt, and I like Fant’s game, but it’s evident that he struggles so bad when it comes to getting in the way – let alone playing with power. You don’t get fantasy points for blocking, but you do get them for receiving.

Albert Okwuegbunam should return to the field in the near future, and that will cut into the number of snaps and targets that Fant gets. Fantasy GMs might have picked up better waiver wire options (Zach Ertz) to start in Week 8. Fant is still a top-10 tight end, but he’s closer to 10 than he is to No. 1.

***

Broncos Defense – Desperation Defense

The Broncos defense has been a problem for the team all season long. I’m simply not trusting them as a starting defense in Week 8. They could surprise me and perform at that level, but there are so many other options (Bengals) that fantasy GMs could pick up on the waiver wire and start.

Taylor Heinicke is a rushing quarterback, so that could be a problem for the Broncos defense – especially with Von Miller as a game-time decision due to the ankle injury suffered against the Browns. Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic are both good backs who can thrive as runners and receivers out of the backfield. Terry McLaurin is a superstar receiver who is stuck on a bad team, but he’s still a big-time threat. Ricky Seals-Jones is a converted basketball player who is tough to match up against, and the Broncos have problems covering tight ends.

The Washington offense has enough firepower to put up points. The Broncos should win this game on Sunday, at least I’m picking them to win. However, if the defense struggles, then Washington could steal one on the road in Week 8.

***

For more of my fantasy football work, check out Footballguys.com

Related

For Broncos running back RJ Harvey, second-year improvement starts with film studyReport: Broncos ‘likely’ bringing back coach after charges were droppedBroncos QB Bo Nix moves up NFL Top 100 list, cracks top-60Why does Davis Webb need to simplify the Broncos’ playbook?Evidence proves that Bo Nix is better than Drake MayeBroncos hoping that Crawshaw’s big postseason will help him become more consistent in Year Two