The Denver Broncos will have Brock Osweiler starting against the New England Patriots in Week 12 and he could continue starting for the team after that, as Peyton Manning may miss at least two games while his foot is in a walking cast. The Broncos are reportedly working out Christian Ponder this week, while Ronnie Hillman is the RB fantasy start option over CJ Anderson.
Osweiler won against the Bears in his first start for the Broncos and his performance earned him player of the week honors in the AFC. Osweiler will be starting against the Patriots and he will get the chance to play more moving forward, as Manning reportedly will miss time while trying to get healthy enough to start again. According to head coach Gary Kubiak, Manning will be wearing a walking cast and could miss "at least" the next two weeks.
Manning is dealing with a partially torn plantar fascia tendon in his foot and he will need time to rehab the injury once the boot comes off. There is no official timetable for Manning, but he will miss the game against the Patriots and could potentially miss more ahead, including Week 13 against the Raiders and Week 14 on the road against the Steelers. Kubiak said that Manning would start again once he is healthy enough, but if Osweiler continues to play well, there is a chance that he could remain the starting quarterback even if Manning can return.
Osweiler had a strong game in his first start while competing 20-of-27 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns and that earned him AFC offensive player of the week honors. According to ESPN, Osweiler is just the second quarterback to win the award in his first career start. The Broncos offense looked much better than it has in recent weeks with Osweiler starting and Kubiak will have a major decision to make if the Broncos keep winning.
According to Pro Football Talk, the Broncos will work out Christian Ponder on Wednesday and he could come in as a backup for Osweiler. The team has Trevor Siemian on the roster, but he is inexperienced and adding Ponder would give the team a solid backup option in case Osweiler is injured. Ponder was cut by the Raiders this year and has not had much interest on the market.
Ronnie Hillman comes into Week 12 after having a strong game for the Broncos and he has been the clear lead back for Denver over CJ Anderson. Hillman had 102 rushing yards against the Bears in Week 11 and that was his best rushing performance since he had over 100 yards against the Browns back in Week 6. The Broncos need Hillman and CJ Anderson to get things going, as the rushing attack can help open up the passing game for Osweiler and for Manning once he returns.
