C.J. Fiedorowicz

Week 8 vs. Detroit
After three impressive outings, the Broncos limited C.J. Fiedorowicz to 35 yards on five catches on Monday night. It was another bad performance on the road by Brock Osweiler, but it was encouraging to see that the QB was still utilizing his big TE. The Lions defense has had its share of struggles against the pass, so Fiedorowicz makes for a low TE1 start.

Week 6 vs. Indianapolis
In the past two games, C.J. Fiedorowicz has been a top target of QB Brock Osweiler. He caught four passes for a team-high and career-high 61 yards at Minnesota last week, after grabbing four balls for 48 yards the previous Sunday. With Ryan Griffin missing part of last week’s contest with a neck injury and rookie Stephen Alexander out the past two, C.J. has definitely stepped up. It looks like it’ll be Fiedorowicz’s show again versus the Colts, so he could be used as a spot start if you’re in need of a TE.

Fantasy Upside
According to reports out of Houston, C.J. Fiedorowicz has made improvements in the passing game. His coach agrees with those assessments. "He's actually improved a lot in the passing game and in the intermediate passing game," HC Bill O'Brien said. "We've done some things down the field with him. He's in really good shape. He's healthy. He has made a lot of improvement. ..." As CBSSports.com noted, the entire staff believes Fiedorowicz has made strides as a route-runner and is doing a better job of catching the ball this summer. That said, he wasn't utilized a lot in that capacity last season, Fiedorowicz caught 17 passes last season while being targeted just 23 times. Fiedorowicz finished last season with 167 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Fantasy Downside
Although Fiedorowicz opened the preseason listed as the starter ahead of Ryan Griffin, the latter is perceived to be the more viable fantasy prospect. .

2016 Bottom Line
The fact he's known more as a blocker than receiver explains the downside and why Fiedorowicz isn't the top option in Houston. Given Griffin isn't on most redraft radars, it's safe to say Fiedorowicz can remain well below it as well.