AFC West Dynasty Capsule: Denver Broncos

The Broncos have long been a powerhouse in both fantasy and reality. However, there are more questions about the short and long-term values about Denver’s fantasy players from a dynasty fantasy football league perspective than perhaps ever before.

The franchise has pinned their hopes squarely on the shoulders of new coach Josh McDaniels and you can safely say he’s not lacking in confidence. After jettisoning their two best fantasy players in Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall, this offense is in a serious state of transition.

There are major question marks with each of the skill positions, but there are also some very intriguing players to analyze. We’ll do just that in this mile high edition of the dynasty capsule.

Players in their Prime

Knowshon Moreno RB
Dynasty league owners simply wanted more from last season’s consensus No. 1 pick in rookie drafts. His 947 yards and seven touchdowns were decent, but his 3.8 yards per carry average was pretty disappointing. After displaying explosive ability at Georgia, Moreno’s longest run was only 36 yards and longest reception went for just 27. Dynasty owners expect a much better showing as Moreno should return to shoulder a big load this year.

Rising Players

Tim Tebow QB
The collegiate numbers from Tebow are absolutely amazing. Add the National Title to 9,285 yards passing, 88 passing touchdowns, 2,947 rushing yards and 57 rushing touchdowns while playing in the SEC and you have production unmatched by anyone in college football history.

The questions about his arm strength, mechanics and accuracy are going to be there until he proves he can fix them. However, the Broncos traded up to get him and it would be a shock if he wasn’t under center by 2011 at the latest. The coaching staff has everything riding on him and it’s tough to find a player with a higher ceiling than Tebow. He should be taken in the late second or early third round in rookie drafts as a quarterback with huge upside and an equally huge bust risk.

Demaryius Thomas WR
In a surprise move, the talented Thomas was taken ahead of Dez Bryant as the No. 1 wide receiver from the 2010 Draft. Their careers will be linked forever, but Thomas has the talent and opportunity to have a chance to rival Bryant’s anticipated production.

Thomas will have a huge learning curve coming out of a triple option offense and must learn to run the entire route tree essentially from scratch. When you combine that with a foot injury that has limited him the past few months, expecting a huge rookie season would likely be a mistake. However, Thomas is very fluid athletically and could be an elite wide receiver one day, especially when you factor in the very wide open depth chart in Denver. He’s a high upside pick in the late first round of rookie drafts this season.

Jabar Gaffney WR
Gaffney exploded for 21 catches and 282 yards in the final two games last season. This year is easily his greatest opportunity to make an impact in both reality and fantasy after stints in Houston and New England. With Brandon Marshall in Miami, Gaffney has a realistic chance to start. He’s been around the block a little, but he’s a good veteran player to have right now. He’s no long-term gem in dynasty leagues, but it looks like he may just really help a competing fantasy team this season.

Eddie Royal WR
Royal was easily one of the biggest busts last season. After a fantastic rookie year where he had an amazing 91 catches and 980 yards, Royal posted just 345 yards and had no receiving touchdowns in 2009. While he may simply be best suited as a slot receiver, his value can’t get any lower. With Brandon Marshall being shipped out, you have to see Royal as a buy low candidate with a chance for a very hefty increase in production.

Players with Falling Values

Kyle Orton QB
Part of me just feels bad for him. A season of 3,802 yards and 21 touchdowns with 12 interceptions doesn’t typically have your team shopping for your replacement. Unfortunately, it’s obvious the Broncos don’t see him as their quarterback of the future after acquiring Brady Quinn and drafting Tim Tebow. While it would be a shock not to see him under center this season, you should expect this will be his last as the Bronco’s starter. His long-term future is cloudy at best and likely doesn’t reside in Denver.

Brady Quinn QB
Quinn was a hot pickup for a bit until the Broncos drafted Tebow. Many thought perhaps it would be Quinn who could eventually unseat Orton. While that may happen at some point this year if the Broncos start out slowly, the coaching staff is obviously committed to giving Tebow every opportunity to start sooner rather than later. The best case scenario for Quinn is to somehow find his way onto the field this year, then show his accuracy issues are behind him and showcase his ability for another team. Fact is, dynasty league owners are justifiably running out of hope for this once promising Notre Dame signal caller. He’s really shown little since his draft day slide to Cleveland.

Correll Buckhalter RB
Buckhalter is what is he is, really. He’s a change of pace back who has the potential for some big games here and there. Factor in his post-30 age and history of knee problems and there’s really not much to get excited about anymore, regardless of his 5.4 yards per carry average from last year. From a dynasty fantasy football perspective, there just aren’t enough years left in Buckhalter to target him for your team as anything more than a Moreno handcuff.

Brandon Stokley WR
He’ll be forever be known for that one incredible fantasy season in Indianapolis where he topped 1,000 yards and had ten touchdowns as the No. 3 wide receiver. There are just too many young prospects to get on the field for the Broncos to expect the 34-year old Stokley to have any type of renaissance to his career.

Sleeper

Eric Decker WR
Decker’s been rising in some dynasty drafts recently, and for good reason. This former Minnesota Golden Gopher is being seen as the possible No. 2 next to Demaryius Thomas on the future Bronco depth chart. Don’t let his drafted stock fool you, he was taken at #87 because of a lisfranc fracture, not his ability. If that injury hadn’t occurred, he could have made a push to be a first round selection in the NFL Draft. Dynasty owners need to be patient with him, but that patience could be rewarded in a big way come 2011 and beyond.

Super Sleeper

Marquez Branson TE
This Central Arkansas product is one of our favorite super sleepers for 2010. The coaching staff is said to love his progression and improvement after being a practice squad player last season. They’ve even gone so far as to say they envision him as the pass catching equivalent to Tony Scheffler. While that seems to be a little over the top, let’s just remember they must have seen something in him to feel comfortable in sending Scheffler to the Lions. After all, Daniel Graham isn’t exactly a fantasy dynamo and Richard Quinn is more of a blocker than a pass catcher.

Summary

The Broncos offensive transformation is happening very quickly. It’s going to be very interesting to see just what they can or can’t do without Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, and Tony Scheffler this season. This team just seems to be loaded with major question marks for dynasty owners. Outside of Moreno, it’s really difficult to be confident in banking on this team’s players for the short-term future of your dynasty franchise.  However, this team does feature many intriguing dynasty league commodities whose long-term futures could take your team a mile high. Just remember, patience is a virtue in dynasty leagues.