RADIO
BALLER MOVE: Target Around ~94 Overall
CURRENT ADP: ~108
ANALYSIS: The entire Denver offense was put through the wringer last season. Nothing was easy. Quarterback Russell Wilson was playing on a new team, in a new city, with a new coach for the first time in his NFL career. That new coach, Nathaniel Hackett, did so poorly that he was canned after one season. There have been just 23 head coaches fired after one season in the history of the NFL. You’ve got to be very, very bad and the Denver front office believed Hackett was that bad.
That’d be enough to doom most teams, but there’s more. Injuries, injuries, and more injuries. Wilson missed one game and played through a partly torn hamstring. Starting running back Javonte Williams played just 12% of the snaps. Pass-catchers, Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, and Greg Dulcich played just 77%, 62%, 0%, and 43% of the snaps, respectively.
The offensive line was also hit hard. Starting tackles Garrett Boles and Billy Turner played just 28% and 42% of the snaps. Interior starters, Quinn Meinerz, Lloyd Cushenberry III, and Dalton Risner played 66%, 44%, and 85% of the snaps, respectively.
That is a whole heck of a lot to overcome when your head coach and quarterback are in their first year working together. It led to the Broncos finishing 32nd in points and 21st in yards. Despite all of that, Sutton was more productive than a lot of fantasy managers would like to admit.
| Courtland Sutton 2023 Per Game Stats Sans Week 13 (Under 50% Snap Share and Left Injured) | |||||
| Target Share | TPG | RPG | RYPG | TD PG | Half-PPR PPG |
| 23.6% | 7.7 | 4.6 | 59.2 | 0.14 | 9.1 |
Over 17 games, Sutton was on pace for 131 targets, 78 receptions, 1,006 yards, and two touchdowns. Considering everything this team went through, that’s pretty good. His 9.1 half-PPR PPG would’ve ranked as the WR39, but he’s routinely drafted much closer to WR50. This is despite scoring just two touchdowns.
He was identified as one receiver who should be expected to experience touchdown progression in 2023 in a recent series of articles here at RotoBaller. It should be noted, that DK Metcalf and Brandon Johnson also are included.
With the expected improvement from Wilson, the positive effect from the hire of Sean Payton, and some better touchdown luck, Sutton could very well be one of the better values in fantasy football drafts. He’s in a great position for a strong bounce-back season.
Editor's Note: Since this analysis was first written, fellow Broncos wideout Tim Patrick suffered a season-ending injury.
More Fantasy Football Values and Sleepers
Pat Freiermuth (TE, PIT) – Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 18
BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 66% of Yahoo Leagues ANALYSIS: Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth is the TE10 for the year, averaging 7.3 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. While the Steelers' passing attack has been inconsistent this season, the veteran tight end has played well lately. He has five receiving […]
Jalen McMillan (WR, TB) – Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 18
BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 54% of Yahoo Leagues ANALYSIS: Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan has been one of the top pass catchers in fantasy football lately. The rookie wide receiver is the WR10 over the past four weeks, averaging 4.8 receptions on 6.3 targets for 60.5 receiving yards and […]
Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB, NO) – Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 18
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14-Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 1% of Yahoo Leagues ANALYSIS: New Orleans Saints Clyde Edwards-Helaire recently joined the team after spending his entire career with the Kansas City Chiefs. Furthermore, he made his team and season debut in the week 17 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. The veteran running back had […]
Julius Chestnut (RB, TEN) – Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 18
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14-Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 1% of Yahoo Leagues ANALYSIS: Tennessee Titans running back Julius Chestnut has had little fantasy football impact this season. The veteran running back is the RB101 for the year, averaging 0.7 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. However, he got some work on offense last week in […]
Trey Benson (RB, ARI) – Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 18
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 19% of Yahoo Leagues ANALYSIS: Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson has missed the past two games because of an ankle injury. Hopefully, the rookie running back can play in Sunday’s season finale against the San Francisco 49ers. The Cardinals could be without James Conner in Week […]
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!
