Broncos at Rams
Game Info
Kickoff: Saturday, August 24th at 9:00 pm ET
Location: LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
Betting Odds: No Line Yet via Oddsshark
Network: KTVD, KCBS
Denver Broncos
Running Back Roles
The Broncos lost established passing game specialist Theo Riddick to a lengthy shoulder injury, where it remained to be seen if he could carve out a role there. That is good news for Devontae Booker as it increases his chances of making the team. Undrafted rookie Phillip Lindsay outplayed rookie fourth-rounder Royce Freeman last season, but both are supposed to have a significant role this season. Booker got a good amount of passing game work last year, and that has continued some into the preseason. His four first-team snaps all came on third-down. In the second preseason game, Lindsay played 8 of 19 snaps with Flacco and a very concerning zero out of the six third-down snaps that they had. In the regular-season dress rehearsal, take a look at which backs are getting snaps with the first-team offense and in what role. The passing game role in check-down maven QB Joe Flacco’s offense can have some appeal.
Emmanuel Sanders gets an Extended Look
I am not a believer in Sanders this season seeing as he’s 32 and coming off of multiple injuries to his lower legs. It is hard to ignore how good he looked in the second preseason game. I think it will be important to see how he looks in an extended run for the first-team offense. He played in 14 of 19 snaps with Flacco last week. I want to see how he is cutting as Sanders is known for a lot of quick-twitch movements in the slot receiver role. DaeSean Hamilton took over the slot role for the Broncos when Sanders went down with an injury last season. It will be important to note who is getting the run in the slot this week as that is a higher target position traditionally. Flacco is also known for targeting his slot receiver more than most quarterbacks averaging 13.2 targets to the slot last season, which is the fourth-most in the NFL. All of the Broncos receivers can be had late in drafts and could potentially provide value to those who draft them.
Los Angeles Rams
Can any running back carve out a role behind Todd Gurley?
The Rams haven’t played their starters this preseason yet, but that should change this week. I’m not sure if Gurley will play as he continues to deal with his knee ailments. Everyone assumed that Darrell Henderson was the guy to own behind Gurley, but it is Malcolm Brown who is looking like the true handcuff. Henderson got a whopping 12 touches last week when none of the starters played and Brown himself didn’t play either. It seems that the Rams don’t plan on Henderson having a major role in the offense, especially at the beginning of the year. Henderson did have six receptions last week, and I want to see if the Rams decide to use him in some sort of passing game role with the first team.
Do the Rams Run More Two TE Sets Instead of Three WRs?
The Rams used an 11 personnel formation (3WR/1TE/1RB) 92.3 % of the time last season. This was a league-high and was used about 15% more than the second-highest team. The Rams do have two capable tight-ends in Gerald Everett and Tyler Higbee. With slot-receiver Cooper Kupp coming off an ACL tear that he suffered later in the 2018 season, I wonder if the Rams dial back the 11 personnel and use more two tight-end sets this year. This should be something to watch as that would probably mean fewer snaps and targets for Kupp who is being drafted as the WR 19 in PPR leagues.
-Kevin Taylor (@KtBeast918)