Broncos Start Em, Sit Em: Week 13 vs. Ravens

Dec 1, 2022 - 3:07 PM

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With a winnable game on tap and plenty of opportunities to put points on the scoreboard and in your virtual fantasy box score, Russell Wilson fell flat time and time again in Carolina last week. With a measly 10 points on offense, Russ posted just 8.48 fantasy points for his lowest total of the season.

This week, the team heads to Baltimore to face a formidable Ravens run defense who has been soft against the pass. The problem is that the Broncos have been unable to take advantage of any defense through the air or exploit any weaknesses of the opposition. Will Sunday be any different?

Quarterback

Sit Russell Wilson

The time for optimism is gone. It’s up to Russ and the offense to show us that they’re capable, or even competent, before we can consider starting Wilson. The Ravens are allowing the sixth most passing yards per game, but it doesn’t matter if the Broncos don’t turn things around on their end. Last Sunday in Carolina, Wilson completed just 54% of his passes, marking the fifth game in which the former Seahawk has failed to complete 60% of his passes. It’s not a high bar to clear, yet Russ and Denver’s offense has found new ways to limbo itself under the low bar each and every week. As the bar continues to lower, so does Wilson’s performance. He shouldn’t be sniffing a lineup right now.

Running Back

Sit Latavius Murray

Latavius Murray was one of the few players to generate offense last week in Carolina, but his fantasy impact was still underwhelming. He finished the game with 10.8 fantasy points, nearly half of which came on one play. I don’t anticipate another 52 yard scamper from Murray this week against the Ravens, who are surrendering the second fewest rushing yards per game to opposing running backs with 82. They’re allowing the seventh fewest fantasy points to the position with 17.8 per game and while Murray has been adequate, he’s posting the fewest yards after contact among 52 qualifying running backs with 2.1. He’s a desperation flex play at best.

Wide Receiver

Start Courtland Sutton / Sit Jerry Jeudy and Kendall Hinton

Although Russ is unreliable, Sutton has floated along as a WR3 this season with big weeks leaving him in the WR1/2 range. His upside is certainly capped given his surroundings in the offense, but the struggles from his counterparts haven’t stopped him from posting at least 12.6 points in each of the last three games since the team’s bye week. With the Ravens consistently failing to contain opposing wideouts, they’re the sixth worst defense against opposing wide receivers with 31.6 fantasy points per game. If Jerry Jeudy misses another contest, it will only help Sutton generate a higher target volume and increase his potential for a big play. If Jeudy does make his return to action, he cannot be trusted as an unknown quantity reentering the stagnant offense. The same goes for Hinton or any other Broncos wide receivers available on Sunday.

Tight End

Sit Greg Dulcich

The Ravens have performed slightly above average against tight ends, holding them to 8.7 points per game, good for 13^th in the NFL. The bigger problem, however, is the Broncos offense itself and Dulcich’s limited production the past few weeks. After starting his NFL career with three straight games of at least 11 fantasy points, Dulcich has posted just 12.2 points combined in the last three games. He hasn’t been as effective stretching the seam with KJ Hamler’s speed on the sideline rather than on the field, stretching the defense long. There’s no reason to think that changes this week, or any week unless the Broncos get more creative with him.

Defense

Sit Broncos D/ST

The Broncos D/ST unit has netted out at exactly zero points across the last two weeks, throwing out a pair of stinkers against the Raiders and Panthers. The team’s pass rush has been severely weakened and undermanned for quite some time now, limiting the effectiveness of the defense, but the issues run deeper than that. Suddenly, Patrick Surtain looks beatable and they’re giving up chunk gains both through the air and the ground. If this team can’t contain Derek Carr or Sam Darnold led offenses, how do you see it going against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens?

In addition to contributing as a writer for Mile High Report, Chad Workman is a contributor at FantasyPros and co-manages a fantasy football Patreon page, Filmalytics. Follow Chad @tweetsbychad and Filmalytics @filmalytics_ on twitter.