How Denver’s Schedule Will Help Fantasy Production

Heading into the 2013 season, the Denver Broncos have arguably the easiest schedule in the NFL. Going off of last season’s records, their opponents went a combined 110-146. While some of those teams improved, and the Broncos are going to have to deal with a suspended Von Miller for the first four games, it would be wise to take a second look at some of their offensive skill players in fantasy.

From Twitter Account @DenverBroncos

Leading the way of course is Peyton Manning, who put up superb numbers a season ago to help the Broncos win the division by six games. Manning’s age still scares some fantasy owners, but he did manage to survive last season without an issue.

Montee Ball might be the safest rookie bet to have a productive season in 2013, as the running back from Wisconsin will be asked to simply balance out the offense. He was an extremely durable back in college, and while he might not have big-time play-making ability, he can still fill a role nicely. He could slide into that 15-20 range among running backs, with close to 1000 yards on the ground.

Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker and Eric Decker are probably all top 25 wide receivers in fantasy football this season, but it remains to be seen what kind of chemistry they will all have. There is only one football to go around, so one of the guys could take a hit in production. Decker seems the most likely, but his size and speed should allow him to stay on the field enough to be productive.

Overall, the schedule is fairly easy, but breaking down their final three opponents in the regular season is especially important. The Broncos will wrap up the regular season playing San Diego at home, Houston on the road and Oakland on the road. All three of these teams had average pass defenses last season, while San Diego and Houston had top 10 run defenses. Since Denver is a pass-first team, this should only encourage a person to take Manning or one of the receivers in their draft. As for Ball, since he is a middle of the pack running back anyway, it will just come down to how long he stays available in the draft.