Your AFC West leading Broncos welcome Tom Brady (DraftKings salary: $8,000) and the Patriots to Denver in what promises to be one of the best matchups of the year. New England brings with them one of the most potent offenses in the game to face off against Denver's top-rated defense.
Brock Osweiler ($5,300) was impressive in his first career start, throwing for 2 TDs and 250 yards as the Broncos edged the Bears in Week 11. With Peyton Manning ruled out for Sunday night, Osweiler will be an interesting streaming option and low-priced DraftKings play. New England has given up over 16 Fantasy points per game to QBs according to NFL.com. This is the time of year where you should carry a second QB on your bench in case of emergencies in seasonal leagues, even if your starter is reliable. Osweiler is worthy of a waiver wire add this week based on upside, and even if you have no plans to start him.
The Patriots have been very tough on opposing running backs, but Ronnie Hillman ($4,000) is playing well right now and needs to be started as an RB2. Fresh off of his third 100-yard rushing performance of the year, Hillman should see a significant workload once again. He has five double-digit fantasy outings in his last seven. C.J. Anderson ($3,500) will also be in the mix as a change of pace yearly option. He has averaged at least 4.5 yards per carry in all four November contests. He is a strong bench asset.
Demaryius Thomas ($7,400) should continue to enjoy success as one of Fantasy's best receivers. He has not had less than 10.5 DraftKings points in a game and gets an inviting matchup versus the Patriots secondary. His rare high floor / high ceiling combination makes him a weekly consideration on DraftKings. After sitting out last week, Emmanuel Sanders ($6,800) will try to bounce back in time for Sunday Night Football. If he does, he should be right back in your Fantasy lineup as a WR2. In addition to being the perfect complement to Thomas, he supplies yet another playmaking element that benefits the entire offense. Cody Latimer ($3,000) scored his first career TD last week and could be an intriguing DraftKings play if Sanders were to be inactive.
Both Owen Daniels ($2,900) and Vernon Davis ($3,000) were heavily involved last Sunday, leading the Broncos in receiving with 69 and 68 yards, respectively. Expect both tight ends to be a significant part of the game plan once again. That makes them viable streamers even as they face a Patriots defense that has allowed just 3 TDs to the position this year.
If there were one week where you were going to consider benching the Broncos ($2,900) defense, this would be it. The Patriots are among the highest scoring teams in the game and Tom Brady has only turned the ball over 6 times all season. Still, Denver has been the best Fantasy defense and if any unit can slow the New England offense, it is going to be this one. Brandon McManus continues to be one of the most reliable Fantasy kickers in the game. He should be in your lineup once again this week for a potentially high-scoring affair.
While the bye weeks are behind us, injuries and matchup concerns continue to plague Fantasy owners and make for tough lineup decisions. Philip Rivers ($6,700) failed to throw a TD pass for the first time in Week 11 but he should rebound nicely against a leaky Jaguars defense. Consider him a QB1 and chalk up last week's performance to playing against an underrated Chiefs secondary. Matt Hasselbeck ($5,400) has 5 TDs and at least 200 yards passing in each of his three starts this year. The Bucs defense has yielded over 2,700 yards and 23 TDs through the air. He is a nifty play on DraftKings. Josh McCown ($5,000) gets a home start against a Baltimore defense that he lit up for 457 yards and 2 TDs in Week 5. Whether streaming in a seasonal league or looking for a cheap QB play on DraftKings, McCown deserves strong consideration.
Javorius Allen ($4,600) combined for over 100 total yards after Justin Forsett went down with a broken arm. He should be a three-down back moving forward and is worthy of a start considering his price tag, matchup and expected volume. Thomas Rawls ($4,500) is coming off of an eye-opening performance against the Niners with over 200 rushing yards and 2 TDs. He will not find as much room versus the Steelers stout run defense, but he's an reasonably priced play if Lynch is out. Spencer Ware ($3,800) stepped up after Charcandrick West ($5,300) left Sunday's game with a hamstring injury, rushing for 96 yards and 2 TDs. If West is forced to miss time, Ware could be an unsung Fantasy hero.
Brandon Marshall ($6,800) has been putting up WR1 numbers all season but he comes at a slight discount on DraftKings against the Dolphins. He torched his former team to the tune of 7 for 128 in Week 4. DeSean Jackson ($5,100) is finally healthy and coming off his best game of the season. Up next for the playmaker is a Giants secondary that he has burned repeatedly in the past. Expect Kirk Cousins ($5,400) to look for Jackson often on Sunday. Stevie Johnson ($4,700) should continue to see as many targets as he can handle. The dependable possession receiver has 14 catches in the past two games.
Delanie Walker ($5,400) has proven to be the Titans most reliable receiving option. He faces a Raiders defense that has allowed at least one TD to TEs in eight of 10 games. Jimmy Graham ($4,800), remains a Top 10 TE. The Steelers have been one of the most lucrative matchups for opposing TEs, making this a potentially big game for Graham. Like the rest of the Chargers offense, Antonio Gates ($4,700) should rebound in a big way against a Jags defense that has allowed for 23 receptions, 256 yards and 2 TDs to the position in the past two weeks.
The Cardinals defense ($3,900) is the play of the week, taking on a lowly Niners offense that has struggled to score points all season. The Titans offense has allowed 33 sacks in addition to 20 turnovers. That makes the Raiders ($2,400) an interesting streaming option and DraftKings play. The Browns ($2,000) are at home against a Ravens offense that just lost its starting QB and RB last week. If you are looking for salary cap relief, they make a fine plug and play option.
For more in-depth fantasy analysis from the team at RotoExperts.com, register here for the Xclusive Edge Fantasy Football package. Broncos fans receive a special discount by entering promocode "broncos" at checkout.
