Denver Broncos @ Las Vegas Raiders
Final Score: Broncos 24, Raiders 17
Writer: Geoff Ulrich @thefantasygrind (X.com)
This game wasn’t exactly a one-sided blowout, but the Broncos did a great job of just playing keepaway on offense and then allowing the Raiders to be the Raiders. Bo Nix spread the ball effectively to 10-plus receivers while also using his legs to score, and RJ Harvey showed big promise as a lead back. The Raiders, as most people likely predicted, could barely muster a tremor on offense against this Broncos defense, outside of some garbage-time action that cut this to a one-score game. We’ll dive into what you need to know from this game below.
Two Up
- RJ Harvey — Offense ran through him, most complete game as a pro.
- Brock Bowers — Still the focal point of the offense, although that doesn’t matter as much as it did last season.
Two Down
- Troy Franklin — Losing work to Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Pat Bryant.
- Ashton Jeanty — Good usage, but completely stymied.
Denver Broncos
Quarterback
Bo Nix: 31/38, 212 Yards, 0 TD | 3 Carries, 15 Yards, 1 TD
Overall, just a great game from Bo Nix, who did exactly what he needed to do vs. this shoddy secondary. Nix was mostly a checkdown artist in this game, averaging under 6 yards per attempt, but when you have a completion percentage over 80%, it doesn’t matter as much.
His biggest play of the game was when he took off in the red zone and just darted in between the tackles from 8 yards out. Nix is a pretty heads-up runner who doesn’t avoid contact, and it gave his fantasy managers a huge boost in this game. There was also a pretty awesome no-look pass to Courtland Sutton he pulled off over the middle that went for 10-plus yards.
Just a very solid game against a poor defense, which is exactly what Broncos fans wanted to see.
Running Back
RJ Harvey: 17 Carries, 74 Yards, 1 TD | 6 Targets, 6 Receptions, 25 Yards
Carried the load from start to finish. The Broncos really have no choice but to rely on RJ Harvey with J.K. Dobbins out, and they finally relented and just gave him a starter’s workload this week. He responded by averaging over 5 yards per carry, scoring from in close and hauling in six catches for 25 yards.
I honestly was not sure about Harvey to start the season, thinking he might be more of a gadget player than someone who could act as a primary RB and take 20-plus touches a game, but he’s changed my opinion over the last couple of games. He is much stronger than he looks on the field and did a lot of dirty work for the Broncos in this game. His TD came from 3 yards, and he was able to move the pile well and score. Additionally, there were multiple broken tackles where he stayed on his feet and gained important yardage.
His best play came on a short out from Nix, where he shook a defender who had him dead to rights, regained his balance and then gained a few more yards for the first down. Nothing fancy, as his longest rush was just 15 yards, but a great game from the rookie.
Jaleel McLaughlin: 4 carries, 22 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 9 yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Courtland Sutton: 10 Targets, 6 Receptions, 62 Yards
Courtland Sutton is still the big dog in this offense, and he proved it again this week. He was getting open plenty for Nix in this game, past the first-down marker and was the main catalyst in the second half when the Broncos needed a play to keep things alive.
His longest catch was only 14 yards, but Denver just chose to keep things locked in tight and not take many risks. Overall, a solid PPR game and there will likely be bigger days ahead with Denver having a tough schedule down the stretch that will require more passing.
Pat Bryant: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 32 Yards
Pat Bryant had a very solid game, and this almost seemed like a bit of a turning point for him, as Nix was going to him in bigger situations instead of looking to Troy Franklin, who is in front of him on the depth chart.
Unlike Franklin, who is more of an after-the-catch superstar, Bryant is great at getting open and is an excellent fit for an accurate QB like Nix. You could see the two start clicking as the game went on, and you get the idea that he may have had 5-6 catches if the game was close.
Troy Franklin: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 11 Yards
Troy Franklin didn’t have a great game, especially in a matchup where the rest of the Broncos’ receivers were getting open and making plays. He didn’t earn any downfield targets and then had to watch as Sean Payton rehash Lil’Jordan Humphrey started to make inroads and ended up catching three balls for 27 yards himself.
Not really what you want to see if you own in Franklin in dynasty. I’d much rather have Bryant going forward.
Evan Engram: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 8 Yards
Evan Engram keeps losing targets to Adam Trautman, and they didn’t utilize their typical TE screen plays as much this week as they normally do, likely because the Broncos WRs were getting open quite easily.
He was the possession and PPR king in Jacksonville, but his role on the Broncos is more of a gadget player that they design plays for to exploit specific holes or mismatches. Just was not needed much this week.
Marvin Mims Jr.: 1 Carry, 2 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 5 Yards | TD (punt return)
Had a great punt return for a TD, which helped put this one out of reach for Denver. But otherwise is not a big part of this offense and has been completely bypassed by Franklin and Bryant at this point.
Maybe they reinstall more deep plays for him before the end of the year, but for right now, he’s mostly just a special teams player.
Las Vegas Raiders
Quarterback
Geno Smith: 13/21, 116 Yards, 1 TD | 1 Carry, 4 Yards
Geno Smith got injured just over halfway through this game. It says volumes that Kenny Pickett still nearly outproduced him in essentially a quarter of play. He was again checking down a ton to Ashton Jeanty or just making poor downfield passes.
This should be the end of the Geno experiment in Vegas, but given how much Pete Carroll loves him, that’s not a certainty.
Kenny Pickett: 8/11, 96 Yards, 1 TD | 1 Carry, 7 Yards, 0 TD | 0 Targets
Kenny Pickett did have the luxury of working against a Denver secondary that was playing very off late and didn’t need to pressure him. Still, he took advantage by completing 72% of his passes and had multiple big completions downfield. His TD pass was a dart over the middle that he fit in between two defenders. The pass seemed to catch Denver off-guard with how much velocity the pass had.
Would not be shocked if he took over the rest of the season, and it would likely be a boon for players like Brock Bowers and Jack Bech, who worked well with Pickett in garbage time.
Running Back
Ashton Jeanty: 10 Carries, 30 Yards, 0 TD | 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 8 Yards
There isn’t much to say here. Denver really bottled him up, which was completely expected. Ashton Jeanty has done well this season, just dealing with a poor offensive line, but still making the most of things by making some big plays as a receiver. There was none of that this week, unfortunately, with Denver being such a fast defense that doesn’t allow big plays to develop.
The good news? Jeanty was the only RB from Vegas to touch the ball, so it’s not like they are interested in limiting his workload. Expect a rebound next week.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Brock Bowers: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 46 Yards, 1 TD
No one has been hurt more by the coaching change this season than Brock Bowers. Gone are the days of him getting 10 targets, which is truly strange as Vegas has been down late in almost every game this year.
He looked fine to me early in this game, especially on an impressive early drive where they marched 80 yards in 10 plays and Bowers ended it with a TD catch. From then on, Vegas couldn’t get anything going downfield thanks to protection issues and an inability to set up play action. There is just no creative playcalling to get Bowers the ball on quick outs this season, so if he’s not open down the field over the middle, he’s not likely getting a ton of work. A change to Pickett could be a good thing, although there is no guarantee he sees a significant tick up, and he certainly didn’t do much with Pickett during garbage time.
Tre Tucker: 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 26 Yards
Tre Tucker is miscast as a No. 1 wide receiver and showed it here this week against a great cover unit. As a downfield threat, it’s impossible to make an impact when your QB is constantly having to dump it off just to stave off getting sacked.
Jack Bech: 6 Targets, 6 Receptions, 50 Yards
Jack Bech was undoubtedly the lone bright spot of this offense, and the only Raiders player really worth discussing. He looks very comfortable as a sort of oversized slot receiver and made some hay late with Pickett in at QB when the Raiders were down late.
His biggest play was likely with Smith on a fourth-down play where Smith rolled out and sort of heaved it downfield to Bech, who had worked open and managed to secure it while getting hit. He had an 84% route participation, which was a season high. I could see him mattering down the stretch for fantasy, given how thin the Raiders WR depth chart is.
Tyler Lockett: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 40 Yards
Did nothing in this game for the most part, but caught a long pass with time running out that meant nothing. Would not be shocked if he keeps losing targets to Bech.