DaeSean Hamilton

John Elway said the Broncos “were not hell bent" on trading Demaryius Thomas, but the bottom line is they simply want Courtland Sutton to play more. And sitting at 3-5 at the season’s halfway point, Elway said the time is now.

Sutton leads the Broncos wide receivers with a 19.1 yards-per-catch average and has already proven himself to be a difficult matchup for opposing defensive backs, especially in contested-pass situations. Recently Broncos coach Vance Joseph summed up the reason to throw the ball Sutton’s way with “it’s either a big play down the field or a penalty on the guy who’s covering him."

Related players: DaeSean Hamilton, Tim Patrick

While all the hype is obviously around Sutton, and with good reason, he should get a huge boost in fantasy value with the departure of Thomas, but, guys like Hamilton and Patrick also have a chance to see increased playing time.