Broncos injuries: 6 players held out of practice Wednesday

Six Broncos players were held out of practice with injuries on Wednesday.

Six Denver Broncos players were held out of practice with injuries Wednesday, including three members of the offensive line. Safety Will Parks (hand) was still listed on the injury report Wednesday but he was a full participant in practice.

DNP = did not participate.

Player	Injury	Wed	Thur	Fri	Status
LB Justin Hollins	Hamstring	DNP
LB Joe Jones	Foot	DNP
OG Ron Leary	Shoulder/Neck	DNP
OL Connor McGovern	Back	DNP
WR Tim Patrick	Shoulder	DNP
OG Dalton Risner	Ankle	DNP

Four other players — tight end Jeff Heuerman (foot), offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James (knee), running back Phillip Lindsay (foot/wrist) and nose tackle Mike Purcell (ribs) — were limited.

For the Buffalo Bills, three players were held out of practice with injuries.

Player	Injury	Wed	Thur	Fri	Status
DE Jerry Hughes	Groin	DNP
DB Siran Neal	Concussion	DNP
OT Ty Nsekhe	Ankle	DNP

Sunday’s game will begin at 11:00 a.m. MT on CBS (TV map here).

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7 fantasy football waiver wire claims to make ahead of Week 12

7 fantasy football waiver wire claims to make heading into Week 12 of the NFL season.

Need a fresh face for your fantasy football roster this week?

It’s never too late for a few extra points to add to your win column.

Here are eight waiver wire claims to make in fantasy football ahead of Week 11:

Philadelphia Eagles running back Jay Ajayi. Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

RB Bo Scarbrough

The round and round cycle that is the Lions running back situation since Kerryon Johnson’s injury has now landed on Bo Scarbrough. For those paying attention, we’ve went from Ty Johnson to JD McKissic and now Scarbrough. Last week against the Cowboys, Scarbrough came out of no where to muster up 14 carries for 55 yards and a touchdown. McKissic did still feature as a pass catcher, though.

Percent owned in ESPN fantasy leagues: 0.3%

RB Jay Ajayi

Jay Ajayi signed with the Eagles prior to Week 11 against the Patriots, but he didn’t play behind Miles Sanders and Boston Scott. It might be a case of him needing to warm up to the offensive scheme, but he’s certainly at least a better option than Scott with Jordan Howard still expecting to miss some time. He’s at least worth stashing for a playoff run later on.

Percent owned in ESPN fantasy leagues: 10.%

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8 things to know about the Bills’ Week 12 opponent, the Broncos

Eight things to know about the Denver Broncos, the Buffalo Bills’ Week 12 opponent.

The Bills (7-3) host the Denver Broncos in their Week 12 matchup at New Era Field.

Here are eight things to know about their upcoming opponent:

Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton. Credit: David Berding-USA TODAY Sports

A true No. 1

The Bills found themselves a true top-wideout in John Brown. Broncos receiver Courtland Sutton is neck-and-neck with Brown this year. Brown has 56 catches for 817 yards, that’s good for the ninth-most yards of any receiver in the NFL and most for any in the AFC. Sutton is right behind him, but has less catches so he’s a big more of a deep-threat guy. Sutton has 39 grabs for 805 yards. Both players have four touchdowns this year.

But in Sutton, he leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth. While you consider Brown better perhaps because of your fandom for the Bills, consider this: If you also think Josh Allen is a good quarterback, you can admit Sutton’s thriving with much worse QB play this season with Joe Flacco and Brandon Allen. The bad taste comes from his draft status. He was the Broncos No. 40 pick in the second-round of 2018. Perhaps the Bills could’ve waited a year and not taken Zay Jones at No. 37 in 2017?

Pro Football Focus also ranks him as the seventh-best wideout in the NFL current (86.4).

💪 Courtland Sutton with the STRONG catch#DENvsMIN

(via @thecheckdown)

pic.twitter.com/U0bfDOb1W9

— PFF (@PFF) November 17, 2019

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4 takeaways from Broncos’ brutal loss to Vikings

The Denver Broncos held a 20-0 lead over the Minnesota Vikings at halftime and found a way to lose the game.

If you stopped watching at halftime for some reason, yes, the Denver Broncos actually found a way to lose to the Minnesota Vikings.

The Broncos could not have played a better first half in jumping out to a 20-0 lead over the Vikings. But having to settle for some field goals on short fields kept it at a three-score game and the Vikings made the proper adjustments at halftime to make the game truly a tale of two halves.

With the loss, the Broncos drop to 3-7 on the season and will face the Buffalo Bills in another tough road test next week. Here are some takeaways from a brutal defeat.

1. The Broncos were on the wrong side of history

In the stat that no Broncos fan wants to hear, the Broncos became the first team in the last five seasons to give up a 20-point halftime lead.

Ninety-nine times had a team held a halftime lead of at least 20 points in the last five seasons and all 99 of those teams won the game. The Broncos were team No. 100 and they are now the one in 1-99.

2. If only the Broncos could learn to finish

The Broncos are 3-7 this season but could just as easily be 7-3 if there was some better execution in key moments. Losses against the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts could have all been wins if not for some crucial miscues.

Sunday’s result was much of the same as the team just couldn’t find a way to make a big play when it needed one. That will come, particularly with this kind of experience.

The Broncos’ record suggests they are a poor team, but there is plenty to be optimistic about. Vic Fangio is a first-year head coach and there are some great young weapons on the squad with which to build on.

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Broncos WR Tim Patrick returns after injury scare vs. Vikings

Broncos wide receiver Tim Patrick (shoulder) is questionable to return to Sunday’s game against the Vikings.

Update: Patrick and Risner have both returned to the game. See our original post below.

[jwplayer rNiYZqS3-ThvAeFxT]

Broncos wide receiver Tim Patrick suffered a shoulder injury in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Vikings and is questionable to return, the team announced.

Patrick suffered the injury just a few plays after he caught a 38-yard pass from wide receiver Courtland Sutton in a Wild Cat play.

Denver also announced that offensive guard Dalton Risner (ankle) is probable to return.

In related injury news, nose tackle Mike Purcell returned to the game in the second quarter after leaving earlier with a rib injury.

The Broncos lead Minnesota 17-0 midway through the second quarter.

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Broncos vs. Vikings: 4 things to watch for in Week 11

Coming off the bye week, the Denver Broncos go on the road to face the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11. Here are four things to watch for.

Coming off a bye week, the Denver Broncos will be fresh and rested in Week 11, which will probably be necessary as they will be facing one of the league’s better teams in the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

The Vikings are undefeated at home this season and are riding high following a big road win over the Dallas Cowboys last week.

The Broncos will have their hands full in this game and will need many things to happen in order to pull the upset. Here are four things to watch for in this game.

1. Minnesota’s rushing attack

The Vikings rank third in the league in rushing yards behind only the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens, a team that does much of its damage on the ground with the quarterback.

In terms of a power rushing attack, the Vikings might be the best. They run the ball right at you and right through you.

That has helped to make Dalvin Cook a legitimate NFL MVP candidate. The team also has a solid backup running back in Alexander Mattison and that duo creates plenty of problems for opposing defenses.

2. Brandon Allen

How will Allen play in his second start at quarterback? Going up against the Vikings on the road will certainly be a stiff challenge.

Allen played well in his first start against the Cleveland Browns, but even he has to know that his grip on the starting job is tenuous as fans and many within the organization are going to want to see Drew Lock get his shot sooner rather than later.

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Broncos make 2 roster moves

The Broncos activated wide receiver Tim Patrick (hand) to the 53-man roster and placed cornerback Bryce Callahan (foot) on injured reserve.

The Denver Broncos will activate wide receiver Tim Patrick (hand) from injured reserve to the 53-man roster, coach Vic Fangio announced Friday. Patrick is now eligible to play against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

To make room for Patrick on the active roster, Denver will place cornerback Bryce Callahan (foot) on injured reserve, ending his season. It’s been a dissapointing year for Callahan, who hasn’t been able to fully recover from a foot injury that he suffered while playing for the Chicago Bears in 2018.

Callahan (5-9, 188 pounds) signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Broncos in March but didn’t play in any games season. If he is able to get healthy this offseason, the 28-year-old cornerback could still emerge as one of the team’s top cornerbacks in 2020. Callahan has totaled 123 tackles, four sacks and four interceptions since 2015.

Patrick (6-5, 212 pounds) broke his hand in Week 1 and missed the last eight games while on IR. It’s safe to say quarterback Brandon Allen is excited about the wide receiver’s return to the 53-man roster.

“He’s great,” Allen said Wednesday. “In the short time I’ve been with him he’s been great, obviously knows the offense. He’s been here and he’s a big, physical target. Any time you have two of those guys like Courtland [Sutton] and him it’s going to be a mismatch for a lot of defenses, and I think he’ll bring another element to our offense.”

Sutton (6-3, 218 pounds) is also excited about Patrick’s return.

“It’s exciting to have him back because he does so much,” Sutton said Wednesday. “He can run plays from the slot because he’s shifty. He can go make the big play on the sideline because he’s a big guy. He’s fast and he’s smart.

“Everything that you want out of receiver — [including] his size — he does it and he does it really, really well. It’s exciting to have him come back and I know everyone on our team is excited to have him back if he comes back this week.”

Denver’s 53-man roster and 10-man practice squad are now both full.

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Broncos QB Drew Lock not guaranteed to return from IR

“[He’s] one of the two that we can bring off IR,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said. “That doesn’t [necessarily] mean that he’ll be activated.”

Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock (thumb) is still on injured reserve but the rookie quarterback returned to practice Tuesday, a positive sign in his recovery. During his media availability Monday, coach Vic Fangio was asked about how many reps Lock will get this week.

“We’ll try to get him as many as we can,” Fangio said. “Some of that will be scout team, too. You’ve got to remember this guy hasn’t taken a snap or been in the huddle since the middle of August.”

Lock injured his thumb during a preseason game on Aug. 19 and hasn’t practiced since then. When he returned to practice Tuesday, Lock triggered a 21-day window for the Broncos to make a decision about his season. Denver has three weeks to decide if the QB will return to the active roster or spend the rest of the season on reserve.

Fangio was asked Monday if there’s a mapped-out plan for Lock’s transition from injured reserve to the 53-man roster and the coach was non-committal about Lock’s potential return.

“No, it’s not mapped because it’s going to be determined by how he looks and what we think,” Fangio said.

The coach was then asked directly if Lock will be activated this year.

“[He’s] one of the two that we can bring off IR,” Fangio said. “That doesn’t [necessarily] mean that he’ll be activated.”

NFL teams are allowed to bring back two players from IR per season. Wide receiver Tim Patrick is expected to be brought back this week — Lock might be the second player brought back.

Asked what will need to happen for Lock to be activated, Fangio said he needs to see “good quarterback play” and for the rookie QB to show that he belongs. So it’s up to Lock to perform well in practice.

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Broncos CB Bryce Callahan will try to practice Tuesday

Broncos cornerback Bryce Callahan (foot) is expected to return to practice Tuesday.

Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock (thumb) isn’t the only injured player expected to return to practice Tuesday. Broncos coach Vic Fangio said during his Monday press conference that cornerback Bryce Callahan (foot) will try to practice as well.

“Yeah, I believe he’s going to try to practice tomorrow and we’ll see [how it goes],” Fangio said.

Callahan suffered a foot injury while playing with the Chicago Bears last year and the injury has prevented him from playing this season. The cornerback had a procedure to try to speed up the healing process in late September and was given a recovery timeline of 4-6 weeks.

We’re now more than six weeks removed from that procedure.

Wide receiver Tim Patrick (hand), safety Will Parks (hand) and defensive end DeMarcus Walker (shoulder) are also expected to practice Tuesday. Patrick is still on injured reserve but he might be activated to the 53-man roster later this week.

Fangio also said tight end Jeff Heuerman (knee) might be able to practice and it’s “up in the air” whether offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James (knee) will be able to practice or not. James has missed all but two games this year.

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Broncos QB Drew Lock will return to practice this week

Broncos quarterback Drew Lock (thumb) will practice for the first time since August on Tuesday.

Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock (thumb) will return to practice this week, coach Vic Fangio confirmed during his Monday press conference.

Lock injured his thumb during a preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers on Aug. 19. He was then placed on injured reserve and hasn’t practiced for nearly three months.

Once Lock returns to practice, it will trigger a 21-day window for the team to make a decision about his future. If the QB is not activated from IR to the 53-man roster within three weeks, he will spend the entire year on reserve.

NFL teams are allowed to bring back two players from IR per season. Fangio didn’t guarantee that Lock will be one of those two players this year.

“[He’s] one of the two that we can bring off IR — but that doesn’t [necessarily] mean he’ll be activated,” Fangio said.

One of the other candidates to return in 2019 is receiver Tim Patrick (hand). Fangio said the team will make a decision on Patrick later this week.

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