Fantasy Football Rankings: Broncos Players You Should Draft, Avoid This Season

Editor?s note: To help you prepare for your fantasy football draft, NESN.com will profile each NFL team and analyze which players are worth picking and which players aren?t worth your time. Today, we look at the Broncos.

The Denver Broncos weren’t exactly an offensive juggernaut in 2015, and with the quarterback position in flux, Denver has a major question mark heading into training camp that affects almost everyone’s fantasy prospects. But the Broncos are the defending Super Bowl champions, and they certainly shouldn’t be overlooked.

Let’s take a look at some of Broncos players you should draft, potential sleepers and the ones you should avoid for this season.

DRAFT-WORTHY
Demaryius Thomas, Wide Receiver: How well Thomas and the rest of the Broncos’ established offensive weapons perform largely depends on Peyton Manning’s replacement and how well he plays. Thomas’ touchdown numbers dipped in 2015, but he still put up well over 1,000 yards. He isn’t quite on the level of the game’s best wideouts  — Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr., Julio Jones — but he’s still worth a third-round pick.

C.J. Anderson, Running Back: Anderson worried fantasy owners for the first two months of the 2015 season before finally finding the end zone Nov. 1. He still finished with 720 and five touchdowns during the regular season and was an integral part of Denver’s attack en route to winning Super Bowl 50. The Broncos likely will call his number plenty this season, as they decide between Mark Sanchez and Paxton Lynch at QB, making Anderson a solid third-round pick.

Emmanuel Sanders, Wide Receiver: Sanders took a bit of a step back statistically last season from his breakout 2014 campaign, but he still amassed 1,135 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He is more of a fifth-round pick, unlike his two teammates mentioned before, but he’s a great option for wideout depth.

Denver Defense: The Broncos’ defense led Denver to a Super Bowl win and probably made plenty of fantasy owners champions last season, too. You still shouldn’t take the Broncos’ defense, or any defense for that matter, until later rounds.

AVOID
Mark Sanchez, Quarterback: All eyes will be on Denver’s QB competition during training camp, and you’ll likely have your draft before an official decision is made. There’s a good chance Lynch wins the job, but even if Sanchez is the quarterback come Week 1, he’s not a strong fantasy option.

SLEEPER
Paxton Lynch, Quarterback: On the flip side, Lynch is worth a shot in one of the later rounds. You shouldn’t draft him with the expectation he’ll play right away, but he could end up being a big steal if he wins the job or sees significant playing time. You might as well take a chance, and he could be a pretty good keeper option if you are in a dynasty league.

Devontae Booker, Running Back: The Broncos might have two game-changing sleepers in fantasy football this year. Like Lynch, Booker was selected in the 2016 draft. But Booker probably has a better chance at seeing the field right away, and he is a strong candidate for Denver’s No. 2 running back. You probably can wait until one of the later rounds to pick him, and you’ll be glad you did.

Thumbnail photo via Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports Images