Week one of the 2025 NFL season is here, and that means we are talking fantasy football! Your drafts are done, and if you’re like me, you probably came away with a few Denver Broncos players on your team. In recent years, the Broncos have not had many fantasy-relevant players; however, that is not the case this year. Their offense is loaded with potential breakout talent, they may have the top fantasy defense in the league, and even kicker Wil Lutz is fantasy relevant.
In week 1, the Denver Broncos
will host the number one overall pick, Cam Ward, and the Tennessee Titans. The Titans were not good last season and figure to have struggles once again this season. On the defensive side of the ball, they ranked bottom three in yards allowed and points, and near the bottom in rush yards allowed, but were better against the pass. I would anticipate the Broncos to attack them in the run game and allow quarterback Bo Nix to work his magic off play action.
As for the Broncos’ defense, they’ll be facing rookie quarterback Cam Ward, who will be making his first career start. He will likely have some growing pains, will be playing in a loud road environment, and going up against a defense that led the NFL in sacks last season and has the reigning DPOY in CB Pat Surtain II.
With all that said, here are my Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em’s for the Denver Broncos in their week one matchup vs. the Titans.
START – QB Bo Nix
Nix is coming off a very good rookie season and a strong second half of the year for the Broncos. Now, he has an improved run game, the same offensive line, tight end Evan Engram, multiple explosive pass catchers, and offensive guru Sean Payton calling plays.
I would look for Nix to spread the ball around, use his legs, and attack the Titans’ defense in a number of different ways. With that said, the Titans’ defense was decent against the pass last season, but I would expect Nix to finish the game with 200+ yards passing, likely a few deep shots to Marvin Mims or Troy Franklin, and 2+ total touchdowns.
It is possible we could see the Broncos’ revamped rushing game vulture a few touchdowns, but we have to see how everything looks after week one. If you have Nix, I would start him confidently this week.
START – RB J.K. Dobbins
The veteran running back did not play much during the preseason, but he is expected to be the Broncos’ lead back come week one. Yes, rookie R.J. Harvey will see his touches, but Dobbins is a safer bet to see the red zone and third-down work.
He is a risky start due to us not knowing how the snap share will look, but I believe Dobbins will be a solid RB2 or FLEX play for you this Sunday. The Titans’ defense was not good vs. the run last season, and I expect the Broncos to attempt to get their run game going in this one, and I think we’ll see a lot of Dobbins.
SIT – RB R.J. Harvey
If you are in deeper leagues and/or a PPR league, Harvey is probably worth a start, but in standard leagues. I would wait and see.
As I said, I believe we’ll see veteran J.K. Dobbins get the start, likely lead the backfield in carries, get the third-down work, and the goal-line work. Harvey will certainly see his touches, but how many and how he is used remains to be seen. You also have to factor in Jaleel McLaughlin/Tyler Badie and even Marvin Mims Jr., some in the backfield.
If you feel like rolling the dice on this one, it certainly could work out for you, but for now, I am in wait-and-see mode when it comes to Harvey in fantasy football.
START – WR Courtland Sutton
Sutton is the Broncos’ WR1 and Bo Nix’s main target in big moments and in the red zone. He has 18 reception touchdowns the past two seasons combined and will once again be a double-digit touchdown threat for the Broncos this upcoming season.
I would start him confidently as your WR2 and hope Nix continues to target him heavily in big moments and in the red zone.
START – WR Marvin Mims Jr
SIT – The rest of the Broncos’ WRs
Marvin Mims Jr. had a big second half for the Broncos last season and now has emerged as the top candidate to be their WR2 this season. Reports out of camp indicate he has expanded his route tree and will likely be a big part of this offense.
We saw Mims used in the screen game, out of the backfield, as a deep threat, and the explosive receiver excelled at it all. Now, with Sean Payton having a full offseason to scheme up some plays for him, I anticipate that we’ll see Mims targeted early and often. He is a high-upside FLEX play for me who can be a weekly WR2 for you.
As for the rest of the Broncos’ wide receivers, I would wait and see. Troy Franklin could have a big role on offense, and rookie Pat Bryant likely will factor in as well, but their usage remains to be seen. If you have room on your bench, I would look to stash one of them in case they have a breakout performance on Sunday.
START – TE Evan Engram
Sean Payton got his ‘Joker’ in tight end Evan Engram, and he figures to be a big part of the Broncos’ offense this season. I would not be surprised if he led the team in targets and was their top red zone target. With the tight end landscape the way it is, Engram figures to be a plug-and-play starter each week, and I believe that is the case here in week one vs. the Titans.
START – Broncos Defense/Special Teams
If you have the Broncos defense and special teams on your fantasy roster, they should be in your starting lineup this week. This unit led the NFL in sacks last season, has the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in their secondary, and has improved this unit from last season.
Now, they face a rookie quarterback who will be making his first career start on the road in Mile High, where the crowd figures to be rocking. That’s a recipe for disaster for a Titans team that lacks overall talent on the offensive side of the ball and figures to be going through some growing pains early on with QB Cam Ward.
The Broncos also have 2x All-Pro returner Marvin Mims Jr. on their roster, and he is always a threat to take a punt or kick to the end zone. I would start the Broncos DEF/ST confidently this week.
START – Kicker Wil Lutz
Lutz made 31-34 of his field goal attempts last season, was 5-7 from 50+, and was perfect on the extra point. He is about as reliable as you can get from a kicker and figures to have more chances to score points this year with the Broncos’ offense expected to score more points this season.
He will be playing at home with that Mile High air in a game where the Broncos are expected to score plenty of points. I would start him confidently this week.
