Team news: Denver Broncos

Broncos HC Sean Payton on rookie WR Devaughn Vele:

"Very quickly, we've seen his growth. He's been really good. The strengths for him certainly are his hands."

The post went on to say Payton added, "He's a guy that plays well over the middle. He reminds me a lot of Marques Colston." Vele is a rookie but is already 26 so he's an older prospect. He finished last week with a line of 6-80-0 and had a 4-66-0 line on Nov. 17 before a 4-39-1 line Nov. 10 against the Chiefs, marking three-straight weeks Vele has been fantasy worthy and produced double-digit weeks in PPR. He should be scooped up if he's still on your wire in any format.

After the rookie dominated the backfield touches last week, we assumed Audric Estime might be the Broncos new starting running back going forward.

Related players: Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin

But, back came Williams in Week 11. It has been a frustrating year for Williams' owners. Williams led the way in carries with nine and rushed for 59 yards and also added a touchdown this past week after all signs pointed to Estime keeping the role he had in Week 10. In Week 10, Williams ran just one time for one yard against the Chiefs while Estime carried 15 times for 53 yards. Estime did carry six times for 16 yards and added three catches for nine yards this past week. The reporter suggested this may be a "hot hand" approach going forward, which doesn't do fantasy owners any good. It's tough to tell when to safely put Williams in lineups, because his low weeks have been pretty low. We'll continue to monitor in hopes for any signs from the team as to how they may handle this situation going forward.

Audric Estime will "continue to get more reps," per Sean Payton.

Related players: Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin

Payton was encouraged with Estime's play against the Chiefs, the post added, and he was the clear lead back. Williams had just one carry while adding two catches and McLaughlin had two rushes for 12 yards. Estime can be added in any format at this point if he's still on your wire. Payton has continued to say positive things about Estime for a few weeks now, including last week when he said he'd see an increased workload.

Broncos coach Sean Payton said he expects to use RB Audric Estime more down the stretch.

Related players: Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin

After his big performance a couple of weeks ago, Williams hasn't really been able to produce consistent results. Now the Broncos are saying Estime could see more work. It seems like the Broncos are looking for hot hand at RB, it's just that no one is really stepping up. It looked like Williams was going to be that guy but he struggled in Week 9 with 42 yards on 12 carries. Williams did get 42 yards on two catches as well. Estime will still be a risky fantasy play until we see more consistent work, however.

Broncos running back Tyler Badie is back in Denver after suffering a back injury in Sunday’s win over the Jets and head coach Sean Payton offered a limited update on Badie’s status on Monday.

“We’re still evaluating him now. He’s doing better,” Payton said, via Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post. “Everyone that’s reached out, we appreciate the concerns. Fortunately, he was able to come back before the day ended.”

Badie was taken off the field on a cart while strapped on a backboard and he flew home on a commercial flight after being evaluated at a local hospital. The exact nature of the injury isn’t known, but Badie has movement in all his limbs and Payton said his condition has improved, the story went on to say.

Broncos are placing rookie RB Audric Estime on injured reserve due to an ankle injury; Estime now will miss a minimum of four weeks.

Related Players: Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin, Blake Watson

Just a few short weeks ago, this backfield looked like a mess, but now it's down to Williams and McLaughlin, which makes it much more palatable. Estime can safely be dropped anywhere he may have been stashed away.

With significant depth and talent at WR, Broncos are moving on from popular veteran Tim Patrick, per source.

Related players: Courtland Sutton, Josh Reynolds, Marvin Mims, Troy Franklin

The post went on to say the Broncos are currently exploring trade possibilities for Patrick, who is generating strong interest on market in advance of Tuesday’s roster cutdown deadline. This move could be good news for players like Reynolds, Mims and the rookie Franklin. It wasn't that long ago that some who follow the team suggested Franklin wouldn't have a big role but that could change with the departure of Patrick, and if he can win the WR3 job. Sutton and Reynolds seem pretty locked into the top-two spots.

The Broncos are expected to move on from respected 8-year veteran RB Samaje Perine, sources say.

Related players: Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estime

The team is engaged in a number of trade conversations around Perine and it could be a trade, rather than a release, the story went on to say. Williams is expected to be the team's RB1 but McLaughlin has flashed enough in the past that the Broncos seem pretty comfortable with him in a key RB role behind Williams. Factor in the team drafted Estime and the running back room was pretty crowded in Denver.

Expected but official: Broncos HC Sean Payton officially has named rookie first-round pick Bo Nix as Denver’s new No. 1 QB.

Nix is now slated to start opening day in Seattle against the Seahawks.

It's a good sign that he's been announced a couple of weeks out from the regular season kickoff, but his pass-catching group is less than stellar. He could have a rough go of it in Year 1, but we'll see if he progresses into someone who will be on our streaming radar.

Despite having a quiet training camp amidst reports of struggles, the team is invested in Franklin’s continued development, and they are in a position where they don’t need him to be a No. 1, 2, or 3 right away as a rookie. He’ll likely redshirt or play some special teams.

Related players: Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, Marvin Mims, Josh Reynolds, Devaughn Vele, Jalen Virgil

Franklin was more of a dynasty name this offseason but the hope was he'd quickly establish himself in a Broncos WR group that isn't necessarily loaded in terms of big names. The story said this is a position that could see five, six, or seven players on the 53-man roster. The writer says HC Sean Payton values size, and he has that with Sutton, Patrick, Reynolds, and Vele. He also values speed, which he gets from Mims, Virgil, Vele, and Franklin. Either way, it doesn't sound like Franklin will have a big fantasy impact at least early on this season.