The Denver Broncos‘ struggling passing game has failed to top 300 yards through the air since Week 3 and could potentially be without top WR Courtland Sutton for their upcoming matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 17, which is the championship round for many fantasy managers.
As a result of Sutton exiting the game early against the New England Patriots on Sunday night, should fantasy football managers run to their league’s waiver wire to pick up Marvin Mims Jr. or Brandon Johnson for Week 17? Let’s take a closer look.
Should Marvin Mims Jr. Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add in Week 17?
I do find it a bit difficult to recommend a player who had negative fantasy points through the first three-quarters of action on prime-time football, but the injury to Sutton is certainly going to open extra snaps and looks for a Broncos pass catcher heading into a Week 17 matchup against a Chargers secondary that is giving 259 passing yards per game this season — which is the third-highest mark in the league.
The reason why Mims had negative fantasy points heading into the fourth quarter was because he fumbled twice in this contest, including a blooper-reel-worthy disaster on a kickoff return where Mims’ fumble led to a Patriots defensive score on the play.
If we are meant to attempt to put an optimistic outlook on Mims and his potentially expanded role, then we would want to pretty much ignore the first three quarters of his performance against the Pats and focus on his diving 47-yard reception in the fourth quarter.
He finished with three receptions for 63 yards, which were his highest marks since Week 3.
There is no denying that Mims is a capable big-play threat who has some playmaking ability after the catch, but his role and usage simply haven’t been reliable enough with Sutton in the lineup to justify the risk of putting him in your fantasy lineup.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
Sutton saw a 20.7% target share entering Week 16, which would vacate more than a handful of targets on a weekly basis if Sutton misses either of the final two games of the season.
If Sutton is unable to go in Week 17, then fantasy managers should expect Mims to have enough of an uptick in targets to make him a potential Flex option for desperate managers in need of a big play option in PPR formats. He is a worth waiver add to see how Sutton’s situation unfolds heading into Week 17.
Should Brandon Johnson Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add in Week 17?
In a similar fashion to Mims, Johnson didn’t exactly make the most of his extra looks in the early going of their game against the Patriots, but he did manage to catch a crucial two-point conversion in the fourth quarter to make it a one-score game.
However, Johnson caught a touchdown and two-point conversion in the fourth quarter to get the Broncos back into the football game before finishing with three receptions for 47 yards and a score.
Ever since scoring three touchdowns through the first four games of the year, Johnson has gone completely missing from this Broncos offense. Johnson didn’t catch a single pass for the nine weeks leading up to the team’s matchup against the Patriots, but he was noticeably on the field quite often once Sutton exited the game.
His 20.6 fantasy points in PPR formats back in Week 2, with both of his receptions going for scores, feels like forever ago, but Johnson is only worth an add if you are in the most desperate of situations in very deep leagues.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!