Seahawks @ Broncos
Final Score: Broncos 17, Seahawks 14 (F/OT)
Writer: Brett Ford (@FadeThatMan)
Two Up
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba – Dawg.
- RJ Harvey – The best pass-catching back in Denver is the only pass-catcher who has benefitted from Nix’s passivity.
Three Down
- Bo Nix – Good for Nix and the Broncos, doing just enough to get the victory, but his play certainly didn’t dictate the result.
- Rashid Shaheed – Someone used the old Butterfingers Madden card on Shaheed in this one. He coughed up two fumbles and lost one.
- Emanuel Wilson – Had a touchdown vultured in what might be his final game as the lead back in Seattle.
Seattle Seahawks
Quarterback
Sam Darnold: 27/51, 278 Yards, 2 INT | 2 Carries, 19 Yards
The Denver defense had Darnold seeing ghosts, with multiple looks and coverages mixed in with different pressure packages up front. It seemed like Darnold was rattled from the beginning, making some poor decisions and throws, especially early on.
Running Back
Emanuel Wilson: 14 Carries, 52 Yards | 1 Target
Wilson saw a significant reduction in snaps, dropping to just under 40% with Jones and Holani rotating in for enlarged roles. Wilson took care of nearly half the early down snaps, but was not on the field for the two-minute drill or the goal line chances that the Seahawks offense generated. With Zach Charbonnet looming and Jadarian Price still set to return off of IR later this season, Wilson’s utility may have come to an end for fantasy managers.
George Holani: 5 Carries, 20 Yards, TD
Velus Jones Jr.: 4 Carries, 20 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, -1 Yard
A gross backfield split with Holani getting the majority of snaps, including both goal line looks and all of the two-minute drill work. This backfield will only get hazier with the return of Charbonnet and (eventually) Price.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 16 Targets, 12 Receptions, 134 Yards
I’m not sure there’s a more elite, more consistent wide receiver in the league. Another stud performance from JSN marks his fifth performance in six weeks of at least 22 PPR fantasy points.
Rashid Shaheed: 8 Targets, 5 Receptions, 66 Yards | 1 Carry, 2 Yards, 2 Fumbles (1 Lost)
AJ Barner: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 16 Yards
Cooper Kupp: 10 Targets, 5 Receptions, 50 Yards
Tory Horton: 5 Targets, 1 Reception, 13 Yards
Kupp emerged as the clear second option on Thursday night while Shaheed lost significant playing time to Horton late in the game, after Shaheed’s ball security issues reared their ugly head. Barner posted a third consecutive poor fantasy performance and is droppable for any streaming tight end with an above-average matchup.
Denver Broncos
Quarterback
Bo Nix: 17/27, 107 Yards | 4 Carries, 2 Yards
I haven’t seen a starting quarterback play this passively and look this flat-out scared in a very long time. Nix refuses to look downfield and is almost exclusively throwing to short-yardage areas, including a TON of balls directly into the ground at the feet of a covered blocker/eligible receiver behind the line of scrimmage. Right now, Nix is completely untouchable from a fantasy football sense, which is making his receivers almost untouchable as well.
Running Back
J.K. Dobbins: 17 Carries, 41 Yards, TD | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 5 Yards
Dobbins remains the primary early down running back in this offense, playing 27 of his 29 total snaps on early downs. He earned two of the Broncos’ three goal line snaps and punched a touchdown in from a few yards out. He’s a solid receiving option with Nix constantly settling for the path of least resistance. A lot of the time that means check downs to the running back, whomever it may be.
RJ Harvey: 6 Carries, 25 Yards, TD | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 31 Yards
RB2 in Denver might just be WR1 in Denver. It may not have looked like it in the box score, but it felt like Harvey was extremely heavily involved in the passing game as the Broncos called screen after screen because of Nix’s limitations under center. He found the end zone on the ground on his only goal line snap but was in the game for each of the Broncos’ short yardage plays and two-thirds of the third downs.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Jaylen Waddle: 7 Targets, 4 Receptions, 24 Yards
Courtland Sutton: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 19 Yards
With the way that Nix is playing, it’s nearly impossible to feel good about rostering or starting any of the Broncos receivers, but at least Waddle (65%) and Sutton (76%) are out on the field more often than not. The only problem is they combined to average just over seven yards per reception. That’s hot garbage, even in a West Coast style offense. The sell window is probably closed on the Denver offense after five weeks of mostly inept performances.
Troy Franklin: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 2 Yards
Marvin Mims Jr.: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 13 Yards
Evan Engram: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 13 Yards