Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams was one of everyone’s favorite early-round draft picks in fantasy football this season. Unfortunately, Williams will miss the rest of the 2022 NFL season with a torn ACL and LCL suffered in the Broncos' Week 4 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. The question on everyone’s mind now is what’s next for the Broncos and fantasy football managers everywhere? How can you replace Williams on the fantasy football waiver wire? Which Denver running backs will rise up fantasy football rankings and NFL weekly projections now? Next up on the Broncos' depth chart is Melvin Gordon and Mike Boone. Gordon’s averaging a fumble per game and Boone has 78 career carries and 11 receptions. How viable are either in fantasy? Let's take a closer look in this NFL injury report spotlight focusing on Williams and the Broncos backfield.

 

Melvin Gordon Rises Up Rankings After Javonte Williams Injury

All eyes are immediately going to go Melvin Gordon’s way with Javonte Williams out for the remainder of the season. Gordon, in his eighth season as a pro, has been extremely durable and a very good player throughout his career. The fumbles thus far are a little bit of an aberration considering he has fumbled more than four times just once during his entire career – and that happened in 2015, his rookie season.

Gordon’s ability to get into the end zone on the ground and through the air has always been something we’ve relied upon in fantasy. He’s scored eight or more touchdowns on the ground for six consecutive seasons and has 10+ touchdowns in five of them. Who says touchdowns aren’t sustainable in fantasy football? Gordon’s racked up a couple of seasons with 50+ receptions, so he has value in the receiving department as well. 

Mike Boone Is A Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Target

Mike Boone may be someone desperate fantasy managers look to on the waiver wire, and it’s exactly that – desperate. Boone had played 10 total snaps in the first two weeks and with Gordon and Williams a little banged up in Weeks 3 and 4, Boone played more. He played 11 pass snaps in Week 3 and 15 in Week 4 but again, both running backs were injured in this past game. The five targets he has this year is already a career high, for all those claiming he’s going to be a major contributor in that area.

Gordon is instantly vaulted into a weekly top-20 running back option, probably closer to a top-15 option at that. He had 11+ touches in the first three weeks in a timeshare and he and Mike Boone will not be anywhere close to the same timeshare he and Javonte Williams was. The Broncos have a tremendous schedule upcoming, too, as they face the Colts, Chargers, Jets, and Jaguars over the next four weeks. As for Williams, it’s going to a long road back and we wish him nothing but the best in his rehab. Hopefully he’s 100% by the time the 2023 campaign roles around.

 

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