The biggest bright spot for the Denver Broncos this season has been star rookie QB Bo Nix. Currently dealing with a bit of a back issue, what is Nix’s status for Monday Night Football? Will he take the field when the Broncos host the Cleveland Browns?
What Is Bo Nix’s Injury?
The Broncos are surprisingly healthy this deep into the season, especially considering their bye is still in front of them. Out of all seven players who appeared on the injury report this week, only one of them was logged as a non-participant.
Obviously, you never want to see a team’s quarterback appear with an injury. Nix popped up on Thursday’s practice report with a back issue. He was listed as limited.
Even if Nix had missed practice entirely, it would not have been much of a concern as long as he was able to return on Friday. The fact that Nix got in a limited session suggests the injury is minor.
Will Nix Play in Week 13?
Nix is dealing with a back injury ahead of his club’s Monday night matchup against the Browns. Nix was limited for Thursday’s practice (the first of the week) but returned to a full session on Friday and Saturday.
As Underdog’s James Palmer noted, Nix appeared to be in pain during Week 12’s win over the Raiders and received attention from Denver’s medical staff.
Really good sign for the Broncos:
Bo Nix was a full participant in practice today.
He also said he’s “good to go”
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) November 29, 2024
The good news is that the upgrade in practice availability at the end of the week indicates there’s not much to be concerned about for Monday. As long as Nix isn’t downgraded on Saturday, he should be ready to play on MNF.
Jarrett Stidham is the Broncos’ backup quarterback and would start if Nix were unexpectedly sidelined.
Fantasy Implications of Nix’s Week 13 Status
Typically, rookie quarterbacks are bad for wide receivers’ fantasy football value. Nix is not like your typical rookie quarterback.
With Nix under center, Courtland Sutton is in the midst of the best season of his career at the ripe young age of 29. Averaging 13.7 fantasy points per game, Sutton is in a great spot on Monday night against a Browns defense allowing the sixth-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. He is an every-week WR2.
SEE MORE: NFL Injury Report
Meanwhile, Nix himself has emerged as a must-start quarterback. Averaging 18.4 fantasy points per game, Nix finds himself as the overall QB8 through 12 weeks. In fact, Nix has actually been even better than the total numbers suggest.
As a reminder, Nix was pretty terrible over the first month of the season. Since Week 5, when Nix started to figure out this whole professional football thing, he’s averaged 21.3 ppg, good for the overall QB6 over that span.
Most recently, Nix has not only supported the fantasy value of Sutton but also seventh-round 26-year-old rookie WR Devaughn Vele. Over the past three weeks, Vele has posted games of 13.9, 10.6, and 14.0 fantasy points. He’s a viable WR4.
