Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, October 30th, at 9:30 AM EST
Location: Wembley Stadium, Wembley, London, UK
Betting Odds: DEN +2.5, 39 total via Oddsshark
Network: ESPN+
Writer: Matthew Cava (@cavaM_ Twitter & Reddit)
Denver Broncos
Quarterback
Russell Wilson (Sit)
After missing Week 7, Russell Wilson is trending towards returning to action against the Jaguars across the pond. He missed the Jets game last week due to a partially torn hamstring. It’s a long trip for the Broncos, but even that aside, it’s just hard to trust Wilson right now. Simply put, he has not lived up to the billing of the historic trade & extension to land in him Denver. With Denver also having their BYE in Week 9, it may be best – if you still roster Wilson – to keep him on your bench, and hope he can right the ship in Week 10 against the Titans. Per FantasyData, he is the QB22 on the year with just 88.38 fantasy points.
Running Backs
Melvin Gordon III (Sit), Latavius Murray (Sit), Marlon Mack (Sit)
Threes a crowd, and they’re all sitting. The Denver backfield has been a mess since Javonte Williams was lost for the season in Week 4. The forever-around Latavius Murray is seeing meaningful touches aside from Melvin Gordon III, and this week Marlon Mack was signed off the 49ers practice squad and will be on the flight to London. For what it’s worth, Mack was brought in because Mike Boone found himself placed on the IR with an ankle injury suffered against the Jets. All that said, Gordon saw 11 carries to Murray’s eight in the loss to New York, but neither back was very productive, sans Murray’s touchdown. Murray actually has two more carries inside the five compared to Gordon’s four, in four fewer games. If you can afford to sit Gordon and Murray, please do.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
Courtland Sutton (Start, WR3), Jerry Jeudy (Start, FLEX), KJ Hamler (Sit), Greg Dulcich (Start, TE2)
Despite Wilson’s bad QB play, Brett Rypien was no better against the Jets. Courtland Sutton can benefit from Wilson returning, as he was getting plenty of targets (an average of 8.1 in weeks 1-6) with him under center. He did see nine from Rypien, but the Jets secondary held him in check, as he only caught three for 23 yards. Sutton remains on the WR3 territory, whereas Jerry Jeudy has been up and down most weeks this year. He had his second-best game of the season last week, catching seven of 11 targets for 96 yards. You can consider Jeudy to put out FLEX-like numbers, but a reminder – do not start him in your actual FLEX spot; treat the early AM London game like a Thursday Night Football contest.
KJ Hamler, who is the subject of trade interest as of Tuesday (per Yahoo’s Jordan Schultz), doesn’t possess fantasy relevancy right now. Jeudy too has been rumored, but surely his asking price will be higher than Hamler’s. One of the newer bright spots in the Denver offense is rookie tight end Greg Dulcich. In full-PPR leagues, he posted double-digit points again this past week, catching six of nine targets for 51 yards. If the target share continues to uptick, Dulcich can find himself in the TE1 ranks in such a thin position.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Quarterback
Trevor Lawrence (Sit)
Another year, another home game in London for the Jaguars. Trevor Lawrence has been a streaming option as of late, most notably in the last two weeks. In the loss to the Giants, he completed 22 of 43 attempts for 310 yards. No passing touchdowns, but he did have a rushing score off four carries (that went for three yards). Owning a 9:4 passing touchdown to interception ratio, Lawrence finds himself on the wrong side of streaming this week. Numbers are numbers, and the Broncos’ defense has given up the fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.
Running Backs
Travis Etienne Jr. (Start, RB2), JaMycal Hasty (Sit)
Fantasy managers rejoice: it’s Travis Etienne Jr. szn. James Robinson was traded to the Jets on Monday evening after it was determined that Breece Hall tore his ACL on Sunday against the Broncos. With JRob out of Jacksonville, this is Etienne’s backfield. Against the Giants last week, he turned 14 carries into 114 yards and a touchdown, as well hauled in one reception for five yards, plus a two-point conversion. He played in 80% of snaps against New York, and finds himself as a rock-solid RB2, with RB1 upside, from here on out.
On Wednesday, head coach Doug Pederson suggested that JaMycal Hasty is set to see more carries. Hasty wasn’t a factor at all against the Giants, but the week prior, he did post 57 yards on just three carries and a touchdown; one of which was a 61-yard rush. While he’s not a start candidate, he’s a smart addition to your bench.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
Christian Kirk (Start, WR2), Marvin Jones Jr. (Sit), Zay Jones (Sit), Evan Engram (Start if you must, TE2)
Christian Kirk saw his first double-digit target share (10) against the Giants since Week 1 when he had 12 against the Commanders. He turned the ten targets into seven catches for 96 scoreless yards. Zay Jones is also coming off of a 10-target showing against New York, but it’s hard to trust inserting him into your lineup on any given week. That’s also considering Marvin Jones Jr., who saw eight targets himself last week, is still in the fold. Both Jones’ aren’t worthy of a start, and Kirk finds himself as a WR2 set to face a Denver defense that has given up the second-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers this season.
Evan Engram has had a steady target share in the last three games, averaging 7.6 per in that span. Last week, a #revengegame, he caught four of seven targets for 67 yards. He has yet to find the end zone this season, but he’s getting looks in this offense. Even with the Denver defense being as stout as they are, Engram could find himself on the streaming radar with the likes of Travis Kelce and Gerald Everett on BYE.