Broncos Start Em, Sit Em: Week 4 vs. Raiders

You don’t need me to tell you that the Denver Broncos offense hasn’t lived up to expectations, that’s been well documented. But even so, Denver has plenty of fantasy relevant players lining up against a beatable Las Vegas Raiders defense this week.

So, who can you trust in your lineup? Let’s get into the starts and sits.

Start QB Russell Wilson

Assuming you don’t have an elite QB on your roster, your options are likely limited, and Russ is as good of an option as any of the low end QB1s. While Russ has started the season slow, he gets a Raiders defense that is giving up 25 points per game to opposing QBs. The 76 total points they’ve allowed to QBs would be the QB4 on the season and the team will once again play without their top cornerback, Anthony Averett. Broncos Country, let’s ride with Russ this weekend.

Start RB Javonte Williams

Although Javonte Williams falls short of “must start” status, he’s a player you want to keep in your lineup for the most part. Mainly because he’s extremely talented, but also due to the seven targets he’s receiving per-game. In addition, the Raiders are allowing 95 rushing yards per-game to opponents and an average of 20 points to running backs. Williams is going to run wild soon and even it isn’t this Sunday, he can still get home along with pieces of the passing game.

Sit RB Melvin Gordon

Up until last week, Melvin Gordon hadn’t been particularly useful in fantasy football. He caught five passes, compared to three across the first two weeks, and was able to fall into the end zone. Gordon is still a good runner and will provide a spark from time to time, but Williams is handling most of the passing work and is the more explosive back right now. If you’re forced to start Gordon, you’re primarily hoping for another touchdown.

Start WR Courtland Sutton

The Raiders will be without Anthony Averett again this week, leading to a thinned-out cornerback group on the outside featuring Amik Robertson and Rock Ya-Sin. PFF has graded Robertson’s coverage at 74.7 so far this season, a respectable number. Rock Ya-Sin on the other hand has graded out with a 57.3 coverage grade and will be a target for the Broncos offense. Sutton will be taking his 27% target share against the two of them, a number that is up to 35% across the last two weeks. Through three weeks, Sutton is the WR17 without finding the endzone yet. He’s the lone must start for Denver.

Sit WR Jerry Jeudy

Jeudy has picked up this season roughly where he left off last year – with inconsistency. After tallying a line of four catches for 102 yards and a touchdown in week 1, Jeudy left the second contest with an injured rib after one reception. After going two for 17 last week, Jeudy is a bit of a risky play. He’s lined up in the slot around 50% of the time and will likely see a good amount of Nate Hobbs. Although Hobbs isn’t necessarily somebody to be avoided, he’s the Raiders best cover corner and Jeudy is too difficult to trust right now.

Sit TE Albert Okwuegbunam

The Raiders have been somewhat generous to opposing tight ends, but Albert O has been anything but generous to your fantasy football team. He’s registered just 45 yards on the season and hasn’t become a trustworthy part of the Broncos offense, so why should he be trusted by your fantasy team?

Start Broncos D/ST

The Raiders are capable of putting points on the board but have been the eighth best team to target with an opposing defense. Their offensive line is an eye sore which should allow Denver’s vaunted pass rush to get after Carr and potentially create turnovers. The bottom line is that you cannot sit this defense the way they are playing right now.

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.