The Denver Broncos will be without Aqib Talib for Week 10 after the cornerback had his appeal denied and his suspension upheld for an eye poking incident against the Colts on Sunday. The Broncos have Ronnie Hillman and CJ Anderson splitting carries for Peyton Manning, while Vernon Davis could be a fantasy football sleeper after a slow start in his first game for the Broncos.
The Broncos defense has been one of the best in the league this season and Talib has been one of the main reasons why, but he now will miss Week 10 with a suspension. Mike Klis of 9News reported that Talib saw his appeal denied and his suspension was upheld heading into the game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Talib poked Colts tight end Dwayne Allen in the eye on Sunday and while he called the move an "honest mistake," the NFL clearly did not see it that way.
UPDATE: Peyton Manning is dealing with a foot injury, but he is expected to play Sunday.
Talib took a penalty on the play and that basically ended the game for the Broncos, as it allowed the Colts to run out the clock for a 27-24 victory. The Broncos are now 7-1 this season and Kils reports that with Talib out, Bradley Roby likely will get the start for Denver. Talib has been one of the best cornerbacks in the league this season, recording three interceptions and returning two for touchdowns while also putting up 20 total tackles and eight passes defended.
The Broncos offense looked better against the Colts, but the rushing game struggled and this week the team will try and get that going with more consistency. Hillman has overall been the better runner this year for the Broncos, but Anderson had more yards on Sunday and Gary Kubiak likely will split carries between the two against the Chiefs. Anderson started the season off as the starter before Hillman replaced him for a bit, but he could continue to be the starting back even if the players split carries.
The team has been going with the hot hand and while Hillman overall has more yards and has been more effective, Anderson has been solid over his last few games. Anderson had seven carries for 34 yards on Sunday and last week he had 14 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown, all season highs for Anderson. Anderson has 315 yards this season with 15 catches for 109 yards, while Hillman comes in with 384 yards on the season and four touchdowns.
Vernon Davis played just nine snaps against the Colts on Sunday and the tight end likely will get more work this week after being traded the previous week to Denver. Davis has the potential to be a solid fantasy option, but right now Owen Daniels has a better grasp of the playbook and Davis may need more time to get acclimated to the offense, but he is worth picking up for fantasy owners for the back stretch.
The Broncos defense will also have to play a bit without DeMarcus Ware, as the linebacker is dealing with a back injury and could miss multiple games. According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Ware could be out for two to four weeks with a back issue and it comes after he previously missed one game with a back injury. Shaq Barrett has played well for the Broncos and he is expected to step in with Ware out.
Check here for more on the Broncos, Talib and the running backs.
