The Denver Broncos will face the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17. We have fantasy football start-sit advice for every fantasy-relevant player for the Broncos so you can make the best decisions for your lineups.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 17 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Bo Nix, QB
Bo Nix joined some pretty strong company last Thursday night, even in defeat.
The always talked about 20-20-2 club.
20 completions
20 rush yards
2 pass TDSince 2000, Bo Nix is the 3rd rookie drafted outside of the top-10 to do it in consecutive games, joining …
*2012 Russell Wilson
*2017 Deshaun Watson— Kyle Soppe (@KyleSoppePFN) December 20, 2024
Through 16 weeks, Nix is responsible for two of the five best fantasy QB performances against the Chargers this season. By itself, that is impressive. For a rookie to do that when you recall that Los Angeles has faced Patrick Mahomes twice, Kyler Murray, and (don’t laugh) Jameis Winston, it’s even better.
As you’d expect, there have been ups and downs within those performances, but the level of “ups” have been more than enough to go in this direction with a nice level of confidence.
- Week 6, second half: 16-of-23 for 194 yards and two touchdowns
- Week 16, first half: 15-of-21 for 155 yards and two touchdowns
The irresponsible analyst would combine those numbers and label that as a ceiling. I’m not going that far, but is it really that crazy of an idea?
There are no real signs of efficiency from this running game, which opens the door for high-end volume against a bottom-five secondary in terms of yards per slot target, end-zone passer rating, and about three million other niche statistics that I won’t bore you with.
Over the past decade, how many rookie QBs do you think had more 20-yard runs through 16 weeks of their rookie season than Nix (five)?
Four: Kyler Murray, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Jayden Daniels.
Over the past decade, how many rookie QBs do you think had more multi-TD pass games through 16 weeks of their rookie season than Nix (eight)?
One — Justin Herbert.
If you’re still playing meaningful games at this point of the season and have Nix rostered, I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. You’ve likely been comfortable being uncomfortable at some level up to this point, and with a long week to prepare for Cincinnati’s “defense,” I expect more of the same as his first season nears a conclusion.
Audric Estimé, RB
Audric Estimé has seen his snap share increase for three straight weeks, but those are drops in an ocean. The rookie out of Notre Dame showed the ability to carry the mail while with the Irish (210 carries in 2023) but hasn’t been trusted with more than six in nine of 11 games this season.
Seeing Estimé get Denver’s first carry in Week 16 and score on the opening drive was encouraging. Yet, even in an increased role with part of the Broncos committee sidelined (Jaleel McLaughlin), Estimé didn’t reach double figures in touches, which makes him a tough sell on an offense that can be sporadic.
Like every other RB listed on this depth chart, Estimé is a track-not-trust option. We can take another crack at extracting value from this Sean Payton-led situation in 2025.
Jaleel McLaughlin, RB
For my money, Jaleel McLaughlin is the best back on this roster.
2024: Jaleel McLaughlin vs. Javonte Williams
- PPR Production Relative to Expectations: McLaughlin (-6.8%), Williams (-19.1%)
- Percentage Of Carries Gaining 5+ Yards: McLaughlin (41.4%), Williams (30.6%)
- PFN Elusive Score (higher is better): McLaughlin (37.9%), Williams (23.9%)
We can debate whether you agree or not with that, but it doesn’t matter. Playing anyone from this backfield is nothing more than a blind leap of faith.
McLaughlin sat out last week with a quad injury, and introducing health concerns isn’t exactly selling me on the idea of going this direction.
2025 — the year of the Denver running attack. Hopefully. Maybe. Probably not.
Javonte Williams, RB
If you’re to play a Denver RB with any level of confidence in the year 2024, I think I have a pretty good idea of how your season has gone. Thank you for sticking with us as you head into what is almost certainly a meaningless week for your team.
Week 16 Bronco RB Production
- Javonte Williams: 50.8% snaps, 12.3 fantasy points, 22 routes run
- Audric Estimé: 20.6% snaps, 10.8 fantasy points, 4 routes run
- Michael Burton: 15.9% snaps, 10.9 fantasy points, 6 routes run
- Jaleel McLaughlin: DNP (quad)
Yes, any of those point totals would have worked based on expectations, but c’mon, you’re better than that. You’ve been rocking with PFN this entire season, so you’re a savvy manager who values stability over single scores, projectability over production, and roles over randomness.
This cluttered backfield racked up 37.3 PPR points against the Chargers in Week 16, and that allowed everyone to produce with McLaughlin sidelined. Again, that’s a story of the past, not of the future.
This season, under 12% of team games see 35+ running back points scored, making the output we saw last week an outlier. Toss in the fact that this offense has no pre-determined hierarchy, and there’s simply no way to go to this backfield this week; I don’t care how badly you want exposure to this Bengals defense.
Courtland Sutton, WR
Fantasy managers were left wanting a little bit more on Thursday night (10.0 PPR points, Courtland Sutton’s worst showing since being shut out in New Orleans (Week 7), but all things considered, was it that bad of an outcome?
Bo Nix completed 83.3% of passes when throwing to his WR1 last week (all other Broncos: 70.6%) and, for the sixth time in seven games, he produced a PPR point total over what was expected given his targets.
That fact isn’t going to help you last week, but it should help you go back to Sutton without much in the way of worries this week against a defense that is vulnerable across the board, but most so downfield (sixth-highest deep touchdown pass rate).
With Sutton already at a career-high in air yards (1,612), there’s no reason to hesitate in plugging him in this week as you chase glory.