RADIO
The Denver Broncos have announced that Brock Osweiler will start at quarterback in Week 12 against the New England Patriots in place of Peyton Manning. It remains unsure whether this decision was made due to the injury concerns regarding Manning, the effective play of Osweiler or a combination of both. Osweiler delivered the best quarterback performance Denver has seen in months during the Week 11 win over the Chicago Bears. In the close victory, Osweiler threw for 250 passing yards and two touchdowns. The matchup against the Patriots has its pros and cons. New England has not been an impressive pass defense this season but Bill Belichick usually gets the better of quarterbacks new to the starting job.
With byes no longer an issue, it will be hard to find a situation where Osweiler is the best available option but he does have potential. Osweiler will be a risky play if you’re desperate or want to start a low-percentage owned quarterback in daily fantasy. Emmanuel Sanders is expected to return to the lineup next week and will give Osweiler another great wide receiver to throw to. The status of Manning is depressing as we’re witnessing arguably the most elite fantasy quarterback of all time become fantasy irrelevant. You can and probably should drop Manning given how far we are into the season. If he does return and take over the starting quarterback job, you’ll need to see him perform well at least twice before feeling safe enough to start him. At that point, you’re entering the fantasy playoffs and should have a better quarterback situation.
The quarterback change helps all Broncos offensive players in the short term. Manning was atrocious and has been diminishing the value of his fantasy weapons this season. While no one had big games with Osweiler as quarterback this week, the change gives more optimism going forward. Sanders and Demaryius Thomas are more interesting and we will find out if either has positive chemistry with Osweiler. Thomas only caught three passes for 59 yards on Sunday but he did score a touchdown. Osweiler relied on his tight ends against the Bears as Owen Daniels and Vernon Davis each totaled just less than seventy receiving yards. The tight ends are both worth the risk and the wide receivers have more promise in the upcoming showdown against New England with Osweiler at quarterback instead of Manning. The Patriots defend the run very well so this is going to be a game where Denver is forced to pass more frequently and we’ll see what Osweiler can do with the job.
