For Denver Broncos fans playing fantasy football, the number of viable players has grown this offseason.
Not only that, but Bo Nix has improved and is near the top 10 fantasy quarterbacks available.
So, if you’re drafting this weekend, who are some Broncos players to keep an eye on?
Best Denver Broncos picks in fantasy football
The NFL season is only four days away!
The 2026 season kicks off on Wednesday, Sept. 9 with the New England Patriots heading to Seattle to face the world champion Seahawks. There’s also the Australia game on Thursday Sept. 10 with the Rams vs. the 49ers, before a full Sunday.
Finally, the Broncos face the Chiefs on Monday Night Football in nine days time.
While some fantasy leagues have already drafted, many wait until this weekend to take place to avoid injury issues as much as possible before the season kicks off. So, if your fantasy football draft is this weekend, what Denver Broncos players should you be looking for?
Note: These rankings are for PPR (Point Per Reception) leagues and were sourced from Fantasy Pros and Optimus Fantasy.
Jaylen Waddle
Waddle, the big and shiny new addition to the Broncos offense, is by far the best Broncos player in the fantasy football world. He’s coming in at No. 33 overall at Fantasy Pros and No. 40 according to Optimus Fantasy, and Waddle is the 18th/16th-best receiver per the two sources.
It’s no surprise why he’s ranked so high. He’s going to be the Broncos No. 1 option at receiver and their most-explosive player on offense. He’s likely to lead the team in total receptions, and it’s probable he leads in yards and touchdowns, too.
Depending on how many teams are in your league, he’s going in the 3rd or 4th round. Keep an eye out for him and snag him, but don’t reach if there are other players who are absolutely known quantities within their teams. Waddle is just joining the team now, so it’s all a guess by the prognosticators right now.
Courtland Sutton
Next up is Sutton, the guy who Waddle has unseated as Denver’s No. 1 receiver. Look, Sutton is still going to be a huge factor in this offense and he plays a different role than Waddle. Sutton will still be going one-on-one outside against receivers and Nix will be tossing the ball high to let him go up and get it. And there’s a possibility he not only his 1,000 yards again this year, but that he find himself more open this year with defenses concerned with Waddle.
Optimus has him ranked No. 75 overall and as their 35th receiver, while Fantasy Pros has him ranked at No. 82 and 37th-best receiver.
RJ Harvey and J.K. Dobbins
Fantasy guys were really high on Harvey last year, and it didn’t really pan out for him being the team’s No. 1 running back. If J.K. Dobbins didn’t get hurt, Dobbins would have really overshadowed Harvey, although the second-year back proved to be a valuable receiver and touchdown threat.
Harvey continues to be ranked above Dobbins in most rankings; he’s 81st and 90th respectively while Dobbins comes in at 90th and 100th from these two sources.
When it comes to running backs on the Broncos, it’s a bit of a tossup. But if someone takes Harvey and Dobbins is still out there, I suggest grabbing Dobbins because he could still be the RB1 on the team for as long as he stays healthy this year.
They’re incredibly close, though the receiving abilities of Harvey give him a slight edge in PPR leagues. Still, Dobbins is a great “sleeper” you can find in the 8th-10th round.
Bo Nix
Bo Nix has been a consistent fantasy football quarterback and has a high ranking this year.
Fantasy Pros puts him near the top 10 at No. 12 (93 overall) while Optimus Fantasy has him at No. 15 (119 overall).
Quarterback strategy is up to you. Some people like to take a top tier quarterback — Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow — in the top three rounds. If that’s your process, go for it! Personally, I like to wait until the later rounds, 8-10, to find a quarterback because the skill players still available in the third and fourth rounds are so valuable there.
If you follow the second strategy, you can definitely get Nix later in the draft, even as a backup if you go after a slightly higher ranked guy — like Dak Prescott or Justin Herbert — in the 7th-ish round.
Sleepers
Jonah Coleman is an interesting sleeper late in the draft. We’re not sure how much he’s going to contribute, but given Dobbins injury history, it’s likely he gets some run this year. Maybe a lot of it later in the season.
And Coleman has the size to be a goal line back. So he could take some short-yardage goal line attempts from Harvey and convert them into touchdowns. He’s ranked 140/159.
Another is Evan Engram. We know where he’s going to likely land in terms of receptions (50) and yards (450), but there’s a possibility his numbers increase this year. Keep in mind he’s ranked 29/33 so he’s a backup tight end at best and both sites think he’s not even worth a roster spot at this point.
Also, don’t forget about the Broncos D/ST. They will likely be top-10 in fantasy football, but I always caution to not take a defense too early.
Have fun this year, get a Denver Broncos player or two if they fall to you, and happy fantasy football season.