Denver Broncos Schedule: 2023 NFL Games, Strength Of Schedule, Fantasy Outlooks

Year 1 of the Russell Wilson era in Denver went quite the opposite of expectations, with the team finishing 5-12 and firing first-year coach Nathaniel Hackett in-season. The “let’s ride” memes were at an all-time high and wins and on-field success were at a low.

The Broncos took another big swing this offseason, trading a first-round pick for former Super Bowl-winning coach Sean Payton. The Denver hype is slowly building again this offseason but it remains to be seen if Payton can change the narrative of Wilson’s Broncos tenure.

Let’s take a look at the schedule that the Broncos face this season and what it could mean for fantasy football implications.

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2023 Denver Broncos Schedule

The Broncos released their schedule with a funny parody of The Office, featuring Angela from the show and Peyton Manning. 

• Week 1 -  vs Las Vegas Raiders
• Week 2 - vs Washington Commanders
• Week 3 - @ Miami Dolphins
• Week 4 - @ Chicago Bears
• Week 5 - vs New York Jets
• Week 6 - @ Kansas City Chiefs
• Week 7 - vs Green Bay Packers
• Week 8 - vs Kansas City Chiefs
• Week 9 - BYE 
• Week 10 - @ Buffalo Bills
• Week 11 - vs Minnesota Vikings
• Week 12 - vs Cleveland Browns
• Week 13 - @ Houston Texans
• Week 14 - @ Los Angeles Chargers
• Week 15 - @ Detroit Lions
• Week 16 - vs New England Patriots
• Week 17 - vs Los Angeles Chargers
• Week 18 - @ Las Vegas Raiders

2023 Broncos Schedule Analysis for Fantasy Football

Denver both opens and closes the season against a divisional rival Raiders team that is expected to be at the bottom of the AFC West this season. Only getting them once during the fantasy season stings, as they are expected to be one of the weakest defenses in the league in 2023. 

The Week 9 bye is solid as it allows some rest in the middle of the season without being too early, and gives all Broncos players five weeks of activity leading up to the fantasy playoffs.

The three most important weeks of the fantasy season are Weeks 15-17, with each one growing in importance. Over that stretch, Denver has a decent schedule. 

Detroit was one of the most favorable pass defenses to go up against last season and while they should be improved with Cameron Sutton, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Emmanuel Mosely added, they will still surrender points if Coach Payton gets the offense clicking. The Week 16 matchup with New England could be brutal from a fantasy perspective, but Week 17 against the Chargers is golden. These two teams faced off in Week 18 last season in a game that ended 31-28 with plenty of stellar fantasy performances on either side of the ball.

While it remains to see if Sean Payton can bring out a different side of Russell Wilson than what we saw last season, the Denver Broncos’ schedule is not bad from a fantasy perspective. We could see players like Jerry Jeudy and Javonte Williams, if healthy, churn out career seasons in Year 1 under Payton.

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