AFC West Divisional Podcast Recap For 2026 (Fantasy Football)

Player mentions

Article text

For years, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs treated the AFC West like their personal playground. I mean, a mind-boggling 35-3 record against divisional rivals? Just completely ridiculous. But last year? The wheels didn’t just wobble… they completely flew off. The mighty Chiefs and the Raiders both absolutely face-planted to a brutal 1-5 in the division, while the Broncos and Chargers cruised to a dominant 5-1. Now, heading into the 2026 season, the entire Wild West is at a massive crossroads. On today’s episode, Andy , Mike , and Jason are diving headfirst into the division to break down all the off-season fireworks, schematic shifts, and drop our official predictions. Buckle up, it’s time for the AFC West preview! As a reminder, we are up to three shows a week now – tune in to The Fantasy Footballers Podcast on all your devices! Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube To take an even deeper dive into fantasy players in the AFC West, check out the full array of the UDK’s tools available to make your fantasy team a champion! Make sure to check out the full version of the episode on YouTube! Let’s Get Divisional – AFC West Denver Broncos (14-3) Player Additions: WR Jaylen Waddle Player Subtractions: None. The Broncos are the ONLY TEAM to return 100% of their carries & targets from 2025 Rookies: RB Jonah Coleman (Round 4) & TE Justin Joly (Round 5) 2025 Offensive Ranks: PPG YPG Pass Att Pass Yards Rush Att Rush Yards 15 12 612 3,931 456 2,018 Let’s talk about some serious statistical wizardry. In one-score games, the Broncos finished a ridiculous 11-2 last year. Normally, one-score games are the most volatile, luck-driven stat in football. Beginning in Week 5, Denver won 11 consecutive one-score matchups. Even wilder, they actually trailed in 15 games last season, which was the seventh-most in the NFL. Per Warren Sharp, Denver is the only team in NFL history to win 11 or more games despite trailing in 15 games in a single season. We have a shift in the coaching staff. Former play-caller Joe Lombardi is out, and Davis Webb is stepping up as the new offensive coordinator. Webb has noted that while they will make some “little tweaks,” this remains Sean Payton’s offensive philosophy through and through. QB Bo Nix had an incredibly unique rookie campaign. He actually led the NFL in pass attempts with 612 and posted the lowest sack rate in the league at 3.3% thanks to an elite offensive line. However, he also recorded the lowest yards per attempt (6.2 YPA) ever for a 14-win team. While Nix averaged a solid 23 rushing yds per game over his first two seasons, 33% of his 2025 fantasy points came from just three highly explosive games. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images The biggest question for fantasy managers regarding Denver is simple: How do you attack this backfield? First, you have J.K. Dobbins , who averaged an impressive 5.05 yds per carry last year and just secured a brand-new two-year extension. Since 2000, only three RBs with 500 or more career carries have averaged a higher YPC than Dobbins: De’Von Achane , Jamaal Charles , and Jahmyr Gibbs . Meanwhile, rookie RB RJ Harvey proved to be incredibly efficient last year, averaging 3.70 YPC, but scoring 12 or more TDs on just 193 total touches. He is one of only nine rookie RBs since 2010 to score 12 or more TDs in a season; the other eight players averaged a massive 296 touches to get there. Despite that efficiency, the Ballers have a hard time clicking on Harvey in drafts now that the team has a…