Denver Broncos fantasy mailbag: Evaluating quarterbacks

Denver Broncos fantasy football: Teddy Bridgewater

In terms of experience, Bridgewater is definitely the better fantasy quarterback in Denver.

Teddy Bridgewater had himself a solid, but not fantastic season in Carolina. He averaged around 16 fantasy points per game, totaling around 241 points. After throwing for 3,733 yards and 15 touchdowns, Bridgewater proved he can successfully maneuver an NFL offense again.

To make things a little more impressive, Bridgewater was the first starter in Carolina under Head Coach Matt Rhule. Rhule came right up from Baylor University, meaning his offense was destined to have some hints of college scheme. However, he proved to have a productive NFL-style offense that Bridgewater took charge of quickly.

For this upcoming season, Teddy Bridgewater is in an interesting scenario. Although he has proven to be a game-managing starter, he now has to prove himself again and win the starting Denver job versus Drew Lock.

So far, he has successfully shown he is the starter for Denver. Throughout the majority of OTA’s and now moving into training camp, Bridgewater has been taking the first-team reps. He’s also formed a nice connection with former first-round selection Jerry Jeudy. The two have connected on the deep ball on multiple connections, begging the question of chemistry between Jeudy and Lock.

Bridgewater could take a huge step forward if named the starter

At a glance, the Denver offense is very similar to how Carolina functioned last season. The memo is primarily run-heavy, with the option of the deep ball along the outside. Carolina made it work with Mike Davis and star Christian McCaffrey. Now with Denver, Teddy Bridgewater will have to work with Melvin Gordon and rookie Javonte Williams. Both are violent, “ground and pound” runners that work the same way Carolina performed last year.

Denver also has young, speedy receivers on the outside to help with the deep ball threat. KJ Hamler has already proven to succeed in this type of offense, while Jerry Jeudy is an all-around wideout. Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam are also fast tight ends that could prove successful in deeper play-action situations.

The most notable upgrade for Bridgewater is the change in offensive lines. Bridgewater had one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines in the Panthers last season. The unit was a revolving door with players coming in-and-out of injury, and both Bridgewater and PJ Walker were continuously under pressure.

Now in Denver, who ranks 21st in offensive lines according to Pro Football Focus, Bridgewater should have an easier time getting the ball out of the pocket and managing a successful run game. Denver has a young and potentially explosive core in Lloyd Cushenberry, Dalton Risner, and second-team All-Pro Garrett Bolles.

Bridgewater had a solid season in fantasy football last year and proved to be an on-and-off starter in many lineups. However, in this new offense, Bridgewater could be very scary in 2021. Watch out for him to also produce high numbers if the starter.

Denver Broncos: Players on the chopping block at each position

The Denver Broncos will have plenty of difficult roster decisions to make in 2021. Which players are on the chopping block at each position group?

In summary, Denver’s quarterback room has a lot of potential going into the 2021 fantasy season. However, the main concern for the moment is finding a concrete starter. Once that is decided, the rest of the success will unfold. For now, continue to monitor the quarterback battle before making a pick on Lock or Bridgewater.