Brock Osweiler has all of the momentum right now. The quarterback has two wins under his belt as the starter including an upset of the New England Patriots. He is doing a solid job of leading the offense in Peyton Manning's place. While Osweiler is finally getting the help of an improved run game, one person not connecting with the quarterback is Demaryius Thomas.
The connection between Osweiler and Thomas has been quiet. The wide receiver caught just one of 13 targets against the Patriots while getting charged with three drops in the process. Statistically, Thomas was better off with Manning. The receiver averaged 7.6 catches for 90.7 yards per game with the veteran while he is getting just two catches for 47.5 yards per game with Osweiler. The sample size is small, but there is some concern. Thomas would only say it was a tough game.
"I feel like I let my teammates down besides that one big play," Thomas said, via The Denver Post. "There were passes that I dropped that I should have caught. If you kind of get to that point where you're always thinking about it, it kind of makes it worse. Some of the elements that was going on in the game. I was worried about not falling and slipping. (I was) worried about catching the ball when it snows. That's the main thing, just getting it out of my head. I'm sure I can play better."
Emmanuel Sanders and Owen Daniels have been benefitting more from Osweiler along with Andre Caldwell who has seen an increase in production with the quarterback. The biggest thing Osweiler has been able to get success from is the ground game. CJ Anderson has suddenly come alive as he put up 113 yards and two touchdowns on the ground while getting another 40 yards through the air. Ronnie Hillman also got 59 yards and a touchdown on the ground as the two running backs split carries. Considering the struggles of these two running backs all season, head coach Gary Kubiak will gladly take the increase in production.
"I think it's been competitive with what's happened," Kubiak said, via the Denver Post. "They both know that they're going to play, so they go into each week, and there's not one of them saying, 'Well, I may not get any reps.' They know that they're both going to play and usually when one of them has a hot hand, they play a little bit more. I think that it's been good for our football team and in the long haul, it'll be great for our football team that they're competing each and every day."
Anderson is poised to start the game against the San Diego Chargers, but fantasy owners should expect a split of the carries again. As for Thomas, he is always a must-start considering the number of targets he gets per game. However, if he fails to produce again, the Broncos might have decisions to make.
