NFL FANTASY FOOTBALL
 Denver Broncos - Fantasy Player News
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| Ronnie Hillman - RB |
Posted 6/18/13 3:35am et |
| Denver Broncos RB Ronnie Hillman added about 15 pounds of muscle in the offseason and got his frame up to 200 pounds. The team would like him to play between 190-to-195 pounds. |
Huddle Up: The Broncos drafted Montee Ball to be their "big" back, with the expectation for Hillman to be their speed/change of pace back. Hillman might like a larger share of the workload, but he'll have to settle for being a little larger and being what likely amounts to the junior member of Denver's committee.
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| Ronnie Hillman - RB |
Posted 6/17/13 12:23am et |
| Denver Broncos RB Ronnie Hillman, Montee Ball and Knowshon Moreno are in a dogfight for the starting job heading into training camp and the preseason. Hillman and Ball are likely the top candidates to start, with Moreno seeing plenty of time on the field due to his pass-blocking abilities. |
Huddle Up: Hillman reportedly has bulked up and appears to be stronger entering his second season but of the 3 backs, it's hard to envision him as the lead dog, considering the pass-blocking issues he had as a rookie and only having 3 games this past season, including the playoffs, with more than 12 carries.
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| Julius Thomas - TE |
Posted 6/16/13 6:18pm et |
| Denver Broncos TE Julius Thomas has received some reps with the first-team offense during offseason workouts. |
Huddle Up: The Broncos already have two dependable TEs in Jacob Tamme and Joel Dreessen, but the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Thomas, a former college hoops player, would provide more athleticism down the seam after missing most of the 2012 season with an ankle injury that required offseason surgery.
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| Montee Ball - RB |
Posted 6/14/13 12:56am et |
| The Denver Broncos signed RB Montee Ball Thursday, June 13. Terms of the contract were not disclosed. |
Huddle Up: Ball struck a deal on the very day veteran starter Willis McGahee was released. Coincidence? We think not as the second-round pick is expected to be the Broncos' Week 1 starter. Even so, second-year back Ronnie Hillman and vet Knowshon Moreno still could see plenty of action as well so resist the temptation to place Ball too high on your fantasy draft board.
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| Willis McGahee - RB |
Posted 6/13/13 11:28am et |
| The Denver Broncos released RB Willis McGahee on Thursday,, June 13. |
Huddle Up: Either McGahee or Knowshon Moreno figured to be a summer roster casualty after the Broncos spent a 2nd-round pick on Montee Ball, and the team decided to cut bait early, getting rid of the soon-to-be-32 McGahee, his recent injury issues and his $2.5 million salary.
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| Willis McGahee - RB |
Posted 6/11/13 5:25pm et |
| Denver Broncos RB Willis McGahee is present for the team's mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, June 11. There was never really much doubt, but McGahee's tenuous roster spot and his absence from OTAs for personal reasons may have given the appearance that there was. |
Huddle Up: All fine and good for now, but the soon-to-be 32-year-old veteran is in a real fight for a roster spot, let alone his old starting job, with the Broncos spending a 2nd-round pick on Montee Ball and the presence of second-year back Ronnie Hillman and fifth-year RB Knowshon Moreno.
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| Knowshon Moreno - RB |
Posted 6/4/13 11:51pm et |
| Denver Broncos RB Knowshon Moreno (knee) was back at organized team activities Monday, June 3, and he took part in some pass-protection drills. Moreno underwent an operation in the offseason in which stem cells were taken from the bone marrow in his pelvis and injected into his right knee. 'It was nothing really too serious,' said Moreno, who tore his right ACL in 2011. 'This time it was just a cleanup pretty much. And it feels pretty good.' |
Huddle Up: Moreno was solid filling in for the injured Willis McGahee down the stretch in 2012, but the injury bug always seems to be lurking around the corner with the fifth-year back. Meanwhile, it's a whole new ballgame in the Broncos' backfield this season with second-round pick Montee Ball and bulked-up second-year back Ronnie Hillman the early front-runners atop the projected depth chart.
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| Knowshon Moreno - RB |
Posted 6/1/13 11:28am et |
| Denver Broncos RB Knowshon Moreno hasn't been cleared to take part in organized team activities after suffering a knee injury in the team's playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens. |
Huddle Up: Meanwhile, Montee Ball is spending extra time with Peyton Manning to pick up the Denver offense. Moreno will have to battle just to make the team as a backup, and he has little fantasy value as a Bronco this year.
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| Peyton Manning - QB |
Posted 5/31/13 11:17am et |
| Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning has been working with RB Montee Ball after organized team activities and said Ball has been learning the playbook. Manning said the team will be counting on Ball a lot this season. "We're just kind of going through plays, going through games, getting him comfortable hearing audibles at the line of scrimmage. Because we are going to count on him in a big way this year," Manning said. "He's a rookie, but [head coach John Fox] isn't going to bring him along slowly." |
Huddle Up: If you needed any further hints that Ball is at the fore of the Broncos' backfield plans, know that Manning isn't putting in extra time with a rookie just because he's a nice guy.
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| Peyton Manning - QB |
Posted 5/30/13 5:28pm et |
| Denver Broncos WR Eric Decker said QB Peyton Manning has more 'zip' on his passes this year. 'I think (the ball) coming to you quicker can be his reads and comfort level with the receivers, too,' Decker said. 'But I think some of those throws that he fits in the holes, you feel a little more zip on it and he is getting it to you quicker.' |
Huddle Up: Manning is 37 but he is another year removed from his 4 neck procedures so it's no real surprise that his fastballs have a little more zip.
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| Willis McGahee - RB |
Posted 5/30/13 5:46pm et |
| Denver Broncos RB Willis McGahee (leg, knee) still hasn't shown up to the team's voluntary OTAs. |
Huddle Up: The veteran RB is expected to report for the upcoming mandatory workouts, but with the addition of second-round pick Montee Ball, don't be surprised if either McGahee or fellow RB Knowshon Moreno aren't included in the Broncos' RB plans coming out of training camp.
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| Joel Dreessen - TE |
Posted 5/30/13 11:45pm et |
| Denver Broncos TE Joel Dreessen underwent offseason arthroscopic surgery on his knee and will miss the rest of the team's offseason workouts, including the mandatory minicamp in June. TE Julius Thomas will see increased repetitions in the absence of Dreessen. |
Huddle Up: Dreessen, had a career-high 41 receptions for 356 yards and 5 TDs last season while splitting time with Jacob Tamme (52-555-2). Neither figures to be as productive in 2013 with the Broncos adding slot WR Wes Welker to the mix.
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| Ronnie Hillman - RB |
Posted 5/21/13 5:48am et |
| Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning said RB Ronnie Hillman will be counted on to have an increased role in the offense this year, and offensive coordinator Adam Gase is expected to utilize him more in the game plan. Manning has high expectations for Hillman this season. |
Huddle Up: Hillman is expected to see third down work in a committee with Montee Ball. He wasn't up to a feature-back workload last year as a rookie, but perhaps another year of OTAs and training camp will get him up to speed.
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| Wes Welker - WR |
Posted 5/21/13 12:29pm et |
| Denver Broncos WR Wes Welker is already making an impression on the
Denver Broncos as he is trying to get on the same page with QB
Peyton Manning. "Wes and I will continue to work and try to get on
the same page," Manning told reporters at the team's OTAs. "I
thought we had excellent production last year at the slot out of
[WR] Brandon Stokley and adding Wes as a new player, we're looking
forward to getting on the same page." |
Huddle Up: Welker now becomes a headache for a whole new division, jumping from
Tom Brady, the Pats and the AFC East to Manning, the Broncos and the
AFC West. With WRs Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker already in
place, it's unlikely Welker will match his 112-catch average from
the past 6 seasons, but he'll still see plenty of targets working
one of Manning's favorite areas: The short middle of the field.
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| Peyton Manning - QB |
Posted 5/17/13 10:20am et |
| Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning signed a "renegotiated" contract, but sources with knowledge of the deal said the new terms don't change his compensation. The contract, according to the source, adds an insurance clause, which reflects that the team has purchased an insurance policy in the event Manning suffers a serious injury. The insurance would both compensate the Broncos and provide a cap credit in the event Manning can't play. Manning will earn $40 million guaranteed over the next two seasons, in $20 million chunks for 2013 and 2014, respectively. The Broncos can avoid the $20 million payment in 2014 only if Manning suffers injury to the same area of his neck that kept him from playing in 2011. |
Huddle Up: Manning looked plenty healthy last year, but it's a shrewd move by the Broncos to insure themselves against re-injury. Can fantasy owners who draft Manning get a similar deal?
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| Tavarres King - WR |
Posted 5/12/13 2:32pm et |
| Denver Broncos WR Tavarres King has a chance to be the No. 4 or 5 wide receiver for the team this season because he is a legitimate deep threat. |
Huddle Up: King never quite lived up to expectations at Georgia and fell to the fifth round of the draft, but Broncos backup WRs Andre Caldwell and Matt Willis only combined for 11 receptions and 108 yards in 2012, leaving the door wide open for the rookie to make an immediate impression.
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| Willis McGahee - RB |
Posted 5/9/13 12:54am et |
| Denver Broncos RBs Knowshon Moreno and Willis McGahee likely will compete for one roster spot during training camp because the team probably will not keep both. Moreno could have an edge for the No. 3 running back job because he is younger, less expensive and a better receiver than McGahee. |
Huddle Up: Younger and cheaper will likely be enough to give Moreno the nod, but keep in mind this is for RB3 duties; rookie Montee Ball is your likely starter with Ronnie Hillman the change-of-pace guy.
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| Montee Ball - RB |
Posted 5/8/13 12:12am et |
| Denver Broncos executive vice president John Elway and head coach John Fox expect RB Montee Ball to compete for a starting job amongst RBs Willis McGahee, Knowshon Moreno and Ronnie Hillman this year. The team envisions Ball as an every-down back in the NFL. 'We expect all these guys to contribute,' Elway said. 'The earlier you go, the more we hope they contribute.' |
Huddle Up: If Ball can display some decent pass blocking and catch some swing passes out of the backfield during the preseason, he should be the front-runner to start come Week 1 given the injury, age and durability concerns about the other backs on the roster.
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| Jacob Tamme - TE |
Posted 5/5/13 11:25pm et |
| Denver Broncos TE Jacob Tamme said he is happy that the team added WR Wes Welker this offseason and is not worried about how his production could be affected. 'People ask me, 'Is it going to affect you?' All that sort of stuff,' Tamme said. 'I never really worried much about all that. Wes is awesome. It's great to have him here. It's been great to get to know him the past few days. He's going to be a great addition to our team. We have a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things. I'm going to do whatever they ask me to do.' |
Huddle Up: Welker's signing is good news for Peyton Manning and the Broncos' overall offense, but it's not so much for Tamme's fantasy prospects. Tamme led the Broncos' TEs with 52 grabs for 555 yards last season, but Joel Dreessen (41-356) is back, and Welker should easily double Brandon Stokley's 2012 numbers (45-544) from the slot, with a good deal of that taking away from the tight-end production.
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| Ronnie Hillman - RB |
Posted 5/2/13 9:28pm et |
| The Denver Broncos are working with RB Ronnie Hillman to try to keep his weight up during the season. Hillman dropped to under 180 pounds at the end of the 2012 season. |
Huddle Up: Hillman isn't going to be the bigger, every-down back the Broncos need, leading to the selection of Montee Ball (5-11, 215) in the second round. Hillman, though, showed some flashes during his rookie season of 2012, and could still see his share of snaps on passing downs this season in Denver.
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| Chris Gronkowski - RB |
Posted 4/23/13 10:01pm et |
| The San Diego Chargers signed FB Chris Gronkowski (Broncos) Tuesday,
April 23. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. |
Huddle Up: With 5 rushes, 8 receptions and 1 TD in 3 NFL seasons so far, Chris
isn't to be confused with his younger brother ...
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| Willis McGahee - RB |
Posted 4/22/13 5:31pm et |
| Denver Broncos executive vice president of football operations John Elway said the team sees RB Willis McGahee as a big back and RB Ronnie Hillman as a change-of-pace backs. "With (Willis) McGahee, he's our big back right now," Elway said. "We have Ronnie Hillman who's a 190-pounder change-of-pace type guy. We look at Willis as being that big back for us right now, and then we'll see what happens in the draft." |
Huddle Up: McGahee is 32 and not being counted on for feature-back carries; Hillman didn't show enough last season to earn more than change-of-pace work. Knowshon Moreno lingers, but the fact that Elway didn't even mention him doesn't bode well for him having a significant role. The Broncos could spend a mid-round pick on a back as well, but this whole situation smacks of RBBC; plan accordingly.
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| Peyton Manning - QB |
Posted 4/21/13 10:16pm et |
| The Denver Broncos are poised to use one of their picks in the 2013 NFL Draft, likely a third-day pick in the draft weekend, on a quarterback. Executive vice president of football operations John Elway wants three quarterbacks on the depth chart with QB Peyton Manning in a meeting room with two young, developmental players. |
Huddle Up: The Broncos already have who they believe is their QB of the future in 2012 second-round pick Brock Osweiler, but they just recently released veteran Caleb Hanie clearing the way for a mid- to late-round QB addition.
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| Peyton Manning - QB |
Posted 4/16/13 12:34am et |
| Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning is excited to be working with WR Wes Welker. "Certainly he's made a lot of plays in New England," Manning said. "He's been great in the red zone. You've seen him catch a lot of touchdowns from Tom [Brady]. The two of them have had great timing -- and that developed over time as well. I don't think you can just say, 'Hey, we're going to have that right away.' It's going to take time. Of course, you want to try to get on the same page as quickly as possible. It was important to start the workouts we got in last week and use these what we call Phase One and Phase Two and minicamps and OTAs and training camp -- every repetition with him will be important. I think he provides some unique things. He has unbelievable quickness, he's excellent with the ball in his hands on those little screen passes. You've seen him get upfield quickly, and I've always thought he's had a nose for the end zone." |
Huddle Up: Go ahead and start salivating about what Manning and Welker can do in the Broncos' offense. Welker will take a bite out of the tight end numbers and Eric Decker's numbers, but don't forget that Manning produced three 1,000-yard, 10-TD receivers in a season in Indy with Brandon Stokley working the slot.
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| Brandon Stokley - WR |
Posted 4/16/13 12:41pm et |
| Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning said he hopes the team re-signs free-agent WR Brandon Stokley. |
Huddle Up: Manning, of course, only has good things to say about his long-time target, but there's simply no room for Stokley now that Wes Welker is on board in the Mile High City.
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| Peyton Manning - QB |
Posted 4/14/13 11:47pm et |
| Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning said he is feeling better than he did at this time last offseason but is not where he was before he underwent surgery. 'Obviously, I still can perform kind of status quo, but I still have hopes and (am) determined to try to seek some more improvement. But, yeah, I'm certainly better than I was last year. But I'm still not quite where I was before I was injured,' Manning said. |
Huddle Up: This improvement -- and the addition of slot WR Wes Welker -- likely portends a return to the fantasy-QB top five for Manning after a solid sixth-place finish a year ago.
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| Peyton Manning - QB |
Posted 4/11/13 12:18pm et |
| Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning worked out with WRs Wes Welker,
Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker at Duke University Wednesday, April
10. Duke coach David Cutcliffe worked with them. |
Huddle Up: How the Broncos' pass distribution works out during the season will
affect many a fantasy owner as Welker, Thomas and Decker combined
for 297 receptions last season. If all 3 WRs play the majority of
the season, expect the number of catches for each to dip slightly,
but there still should be plenty of production to go around.
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| Lance Ball - RB |
Posted 4/9/13 12:53am et |
| Denver Broncos restricted free-agent RB Lance Ball has signed his one-year tender offer. Financial terms were not disclosed. |
Huddle Up: Ball provides depth in the Denver backfield, but unless Willis McGahee and Knowshon Moreno go down with injuries his fantasy value is limited. So we're sayin' there's a chance...
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| Willis McGahee - RB |
Posted 4/5/13 3:22pm et |
| The Denver Broncos consider RB Willis McGahee as a complementary running back at this point and believe he will be more productive if they reduce the number of carries he receives. |
Huddle Up: Sounds like Denver is planning on an RBBC behind Peyton Manning. If McGahee comes back healthy he should handle a share of the workload; Knowshon Moreno could be another member of the committee, or Denver could sign a free agent like Ahmad Bradshaw or draft a back in the middle rounds. Bottom line, don't be banking on 20-plus carries a game from McGahee in 2013.
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| Julius Thomas - TE |
Posted 3/26/13 12:57pm et |
| Denver Broncos head coach John Fox said TE Julius Thomas is a young
player that he wants to have a bigger role next season. |
Huddle Up: Thomas crept on to a few preseason sleeper lists 2 years ago when he
was a fourth-round pick out of Portland State but injuries and his
slow development as a blocker has limited him to a handful -- 9 to
be exact -- of games so far. The Broncos, though, have kept Thomas
around so they evidently still see some potential.
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