Fantasy Football 2019: Impact of Denver Broncos coaching changes

What changes will new offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello bring to the Denver Broncos offense? We shed light on the possible fantasy football ramifications.

Savvy fantasy football owners pay close attention to offseason coaching changes to get an idea of how new hires will impact usage and productivity for players they’ll consider on draft day. The Denver Broncos are the fourth team we’ll highlight in a series of articles that examines the fantasy football impact brought on by these new offensive coordinators.

Previously in the rankings from No. 15-13, we’ve had the Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens, respectively. Jason Garrett and Bill O’Brien still figure to maintain hands-on approaches for the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans, so Kellen Moore and Tim Kelly aren’t expected to have much freedom to design and call plays. Therefore, we skip both and ride right into Denver to round up the Broncos.

12. Denver Broncos

New Offensive Coordinator: Rich Scangarello

The Broncos hired Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio as head coach, but it’s Rich Scangarello that fantasy football owners need to concern themselves with. The Broncos not only have a new offensive coordinator, they also brought in Super Bowl XLVII MVP Joe Flacco to direct the huddle.

With apologies to Broncos fans, that may be the only time you’ll see “Broncos” and “Super Bowl” in the same sentence in any article about this year’s team. There is reason for optimism, however.

Scangarello inherits an offensive line ranked No. 1 in the NFL in yards per carry prior to first contact, as published by Sanjit T. of Just Blog Baby. This partially explains the Pro Bowl season turned in last year by undrafted free agent running back Phillip Lindsay and serves as a source of optimism for truthers of second-year breakout candidate Royce Freeman.

A great run-blocking line returning most of its starters seems to write a prescription for a heavy dose of Lindsay and Freeman in 2019. Both represented values at their ADPs until the recent signing of pass-catching specialist Theo Riddick muddled the picture somewhat. Freeman remains a great value in the mid-to-late eighth round, but Lindsay’s stock as a mid-fourth rounder should soon take a dip due to the arrival of Riddick.

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Lest we forget the Denver passing attack, let’s acknowledge that Scangarello is well-suited to grooming newly drafted quarterback Drew Lock as he calls plays for the bazooka-armed Flacco. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach helped prepare Jimmy Garoppolo for a remarkable run that was prematurely sidetracked by a devastating knee injury.

Scangarello outdid himself last season by elevating unheralded rookie Nick Mullens to waiver wire relevancy. Mullens posted a respectable completion percentage of 64.2 last season, better than Baker Mayfield or Aaron Rodgers, and close to the league average of 64.9 percent. Not bad for a third-string quarterback.

Now, if you’re having trouble picturing Flacco lighting up opposing defenses this year, you’re not alone. He’s all but undrafted outside of 2-QB leagues, where he’s lasting until Round 12, going off the board just before Eli Manning and the Miami Dolphins duo of Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen.

Andre Simone’s detailed film breakdown of Scangarello’s past college and pro offenses hint at a variety of ways in which the offense could be tailored to the talents of the Broncos’ skill position players. From two-tight end sets to empty backfields with four wide receivers, Scangarello is not afraid maximize his personnel’s talents by attacking defenses from a variety of formations.

This could mean plenty of jet sweeps and play action bombs to intriguing second-year wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Daesean Hamilton, potential playmakers who are being taken by fantasy owners in the ninth and 13th rounds in PPR leagues, respectively. Steady veteran Emmanuel Sanders, who crossed the 70 reception threshold in four of his last five seasons, is fighting hard to come back from an Achilles injury and bring a steady presence to a talented but emerging WR corps.

What’s unclear is who will emerge as the primary weapon from this trio. CBS Sports fantasy pundits Jamey Eisenberg, Dave Richard and Heath Cummings offer divergent projections for this free-for-all in an article posted yesterday; each analyst backs a different one of the three horses listed above.

Scangarello’s schemes could cause another contributor to quietly emerge as a value at the tight end position. Rookie Noah Fant generated a lot of buzz on draft day, and unheralded veteran Jeff Heuerman is still around after logging a 10-catch outing against Houston last year before sustaining a limiting injury.

Chances are, one or both tight ends will end up on many fantasy rosters as streaming options during bye weeks. Dark horse Jake Butt is still on the roster after missing the entire 2018 season, and his comeback attempt bears watching: the 6-6, 250-pound former Michigan standout was an under-the-radar sleeper before shredding his knee (again) last summer.

Given a strong commitment to the running game, a less-than-stellar fantasy history, and uncertainties at many key skill positions, it’s fair that Flacco is found on few fantasy rosters.

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Yet with so many draftable weapons, and a long learning curve ahead for understudy Lock, the former Delaware Blue Hen is actually a bit disrespected right now in 2-QB leagues. Even Redskins rookie Dwayne Haskins, who’s hardly a lock to start over Case Keenum and has few weapons by comparison, is going ahead of Flacco in that format.

Broncos skill position players won’t be coveted by many fantasy owners, but a number are rosterable fantasy options. While none are top-tier studs, many offer ample upside. Watch closely in the coming weeks to see which ones emerge as the best values from this franchise.

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