The Broncos defense was No. 1 in a lot of fantasy scoring systems a year ago, and it looks strong this year, too. Not only for defense-related things, but for special teams.
Pass rush is good; Vance Joseph's group had 9 more sacks than anyone last year. The secondary is also solid, with top pick corner Jahdae Barron joining Patrick Surtain at cornerback. And a coaching hire might also be a factor.
Special teams haven't been a huge part of fantasy leagues, with the way kick return touchdowns have declined. Just a decade ago you'd see upward of 20 kick and punt return scores per year; over the past five the averages have been about 11-12. But there were more 60 percent more kick returns in 2024 than the previous season, thanks in part to touchbacks being placed at the 30-yard-line, and there should be even more this year (touchbacks will now be placed at the 35).
And the Broncos have hired Sean Payton's former special teams coordinator in New Orleans, Darren Rizzi, to run Denver's group. It's a pairing that links two of the league's best units in punt returns the past two years.
There have been only 14 punt return touchdowns across the past two seasons, but the Saints have two of them. They've ranked in the top 5 (average yards per return) both years. And while Denver's main returner Marvin Mims doesn't have a punt return touchdown in either season, the Broncos have ranked No. 1 in yards per return both years, with Mims having a pair of returns over 50 yards (that fell short of the end zone). He also has a touchdown on a kickoff return.
Table shows team punt returns numbers the past two seasons, sorted by 2024 return average.
| TEAM PUNT RETURNS, 2023-2024 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Avg(23) | Lg(23) | TD(23) | Rank(23) | Avg(24) | Lg(24) | TD(24) | Rank(24) |
| Denver | 16.3 | 52 | 0 | 1 | 15.7 | 61 | 0 | 1 |
| New England | 6.3 | 25 | 0 | 31 | 14.2 | 62 | 0 | 2 |
| Detroit | 11.4 | 42 | 0 | 7 | 12.9 | 90T | 1 | 3 |
| Chicago | 8.2 | 31 | 0 | 23 | 12.7 | 94T | 1 | 4 |
| New Orleans | 12.3 | 76 | 1 | 5 | 12.5 | 54T | 1 | 5 |
| LA Chargers | 16.0 | 87 | 1 | 2 | 12.0 | 53 | 0 | 6 |
| Jacksonville | 10.2 | 48 | 0 | 9-10 | 11.8 | 96T | 1 | 7 |
| Buffalo | 11.6 | 96 | 1 | 6 | 11.6 | 29 | 0 | 8 |
| Washington | 7.9 | 61 | 0 | 25-26 | 10.4 | 24 | 0 | 9 |
| Pittsburgh | 8.6 | 34 | 0 | 21 | 10.3 | 73T | 1 | 10 |
| Cleveland | 8.4 | 21 | 0 | 22 | 10.0 | 28 | 0 | 11 |
| Kansas City | 9.3 | 50 | 0 | 16 | 9.9 | 55 | 0 | 12 |
| Dallas | 5.4 | 15 | 0 | 32 | 9.8 | 60 | 1 | 13-15 |
| Indianapolis | 9.2 | 32 | 0 | 17-18 | 9.8 | 36 | 0 | 13-15 |
| Las Vegas | 10.0 | 32 | 0 | 11 | 9.8 | 24 | 0 | 13-15 |
| Baltimore | 14.4 | 76 | 1 | 3-4 | 9.7 | 22 | 0 | 16 |
| Arizona | 9.2 | 49 | 0 | 17-18 | 9.6 | 27 | 0 | 17-18 |
| Miami | 9.8 | 19 | 0 | 12 | 9.6 | 44 | 0 | 17-18 |
| Atlanta | 7.2 | 23 | 0 | 30 | 9.5 | 28 | 0 | 19 |
| Philadelphia | 14.4 | 54 | 0 | 3-4 | 9.2 | 31 | 0 | 20-21 |
| San Francisco | 8.0 | 19 | 0 | 24 | 9.2 | 30 | 0 | 20-21 |
| LA Rams | 7.3 | 29 | 0 | 28-29 | 8.9 | 38 | 0 | 22 |
| Green Bay | 7.3 | 35 | 0 | 28-29 | 8.3 | 39 | 0 | 23-24 |
| Houston | 9.7 | 22 | 0 | 13-14 | 8.3 | 36 | 0 | 23-24 |
| NY Jets | 9.7 | 65 | 1 | 13-14 | 8.1 | 40 | 0 | 25 |
| NY Giants | 8.9 | 94 | 1 | 19 | 7.6 | 25 | 0 | 26-27 |
| Tampa Bay | 9.4 | 51 | 0 | 15 | 7.6 | 17 | 0 | 26-27 |
| Carolina | 8.7 | 79 | 1 | 20 | 7.4 | 16 | 0 | 28-30 |
| Seattle | 10.6 | 32 | 0 | 8 | 7.4 | 23 | 0 | 28-30 |
| Tennessee | 7.9 | 21 | 0 | 25-26 | 7.4 | 20 | 0 | 28-30 |
| Cincinnati | 10.2 | 81 | 1 | 9-10 | 7.3 | 23 | 0 | 31 |
| Minnesota | 7.8 | 25 | 0 | 27 | 6.8 | 15 | 0 | 32 |
Like the pass rush and the secondary talent, but give Denver a slight boost in terms of likelihood of scoring on a punt or kick return, as well.
--Andy Richardson