Week 8 at Kansas City Chiefs
With the Broncos building an early lead last Thursday at Arizona, Case Keenum threw only 21 passes. He completed 14 for a season-low 161 yards and one TD, his third straight game with at least one touchdown pass. He also kept alive his streak of at least one INT in every game of ’18. Keenum has three 300-yard games on the season; but, surprisingly, one wasn’t against the Chiefs earlier this month, as he was held to 245 yards and no TDs in the home loss. He remains a QB2 play even facing the second-worst pass defense.
Week 7 at Arizona Cardinals
In the loss to the Rams last Sunday, Case Keenum put the ball in the air 41 times, ending with 322 yards and two TDs. Once again, the Broncos found themselves behind early, which resulted in the abandonment of the ground game. In the past two weeks, Keenum has thrown for 699 yards and four scores. The contest on Thursday in Arizona will likely be more competitive and the Cardinals have been horrible at stopping the run, so expect Denver to have a balanced attack. Keenum should only be used as a QB2 play.
Week 6 vs. Los Angeles Rams
With his team playing from behind for most of the game last Sunday at the Jets, Case Keenum threw 51 passes, leading to a season-high 377 yards and two TDs – his first scoring tosses since Week 1. It wasn’t all good though, as he was sacked four times in the loss and kept his dubious streak going of at least one pick in every contest as a Bronco. With Aqib Talib out, the Rams pass defense has been a bit vulnerable, allowing an average of 234 yards per game through the air and yielded three TD tosses to Russell Wilson last week. However, Keenum remains just a QB2 start.
Week 5 at New York Jets
Last Monday versus the Chiefs, Case Keenum finished 21-of-33 for 245 yards and an interception. After tossing three TDs in the season opener, Keenum hasn’t thrown one since, with one interception in each of the past three games. He has been held to less than 250 yards the past three contests as well. While the Jets surrendered nearly 400 passing yards to Blake Bortles, their pass defense is No. 14. Keenum should only be started as a QB2.
Week 4 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
In the loss at Baltimore last Sunday, Case Keenum finished with 192 yards and zero TDs. He was picked off once and sacked three times, as the Broncos offense struggled to move the ball for much of the afternoon. In the past two weeks, Keenum has thrown for an average of 207 yards, without a score and two interceptions. On Monday night, he faces a Chiefs defense tied for last versus the pass. The Kansas City offense has put up a lot of points, so Keenum will need to be sharp for Denver to keep up. He remains a QB2 play, however.
Week 3 at Baltimore Ravens
For the second straight week, Case Keenum led his team back from a fourth-quarter deficit to a win. In the victory versus the Raiders last Sunday, the Denver QB threw for 222 yards and scored a late TD on a fourth down one-yard dive. In the comeback, he completed just 54 percent of his passes. He’s thrown four interceptions in his first two games with the Broncos. While the Ravens allowed four TD tosses from Andy Dalton in their loss last Thursday, they shut down a horrid Bills offense in Week 1. This will be Keenum’s first road game with the Broncos and he should only be used as a QB2 play in what could be a low-scoring affair.
Week 2 vs. Oakland Raiders
It was a bit of a rollercoaster start for Case Keenum in Denver last week against the Seahawks. While he threw for 329 yards and three TDs, he was also picked off three times. He completed 64 percent of his passes and did a great job of spreading the ball around, connecting with seven different pass-catchers. In the Monday night loss to the Rams, Oakland’s defense allowed 233 passing yards to Jared Goff, who tested the secondary multiple times on deep routes. While the yardage total wasn’t high for Goff, he did generate a few pass interference calls from long throws. Look for Keenum to air it out versus the Raiders on Sunday, but he remains more of a QB2 option.
Week 1 vs. Seattle Seahawks
For the first time in his six-year career, Case Keenum will be an NFL starter in Week 1. He is coming off his best season as a pro, throwing for over 3,500 yards and 22 touchdowns in 15 games with the Vikings. Keenum had a decent, not great, preseason with his new team, but will be playing at home versus a Seattle defense that can no longer be considered the Legion of Boom, whether Earl Thomas plays or not. Denver’s starting RB will be Royce Freeman, so pass protection from a rookie may be suspect. Keenum should only be used as a QB2 option in the opener.
Fantasy Upside
What an impressive season Case Keenum had last season with the Vikings. In his lone year in Minnesota, he led the club to the NFC Championship game, played in 15 games (14 starts), and completed over 67 percent of his passes. He threw for over 3,500 yards with 22 TDs and just seven interceptions. Keenum is a bit of a threat to run, too, carrying the ball 40 times for 160 yards and a score in 2017. Coming to his new team in Denver, the 30-year-old has two of the best WRs in the game to throw to in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. And, rookie Courtland Sutton will also help stretch the field.
Fantasy Downside
Mostly a backup during his six-year career, Keenum had started only six games as a pro prior to last season. He threw for 300 yards just twice ins 2017 and tossed for fewer than 200 yards on five different occasions. There’s the realization that his success won’t translate on another team, with a different offensive scheme. Keenum has been a journeyman QB, who is now on his fourth team and fifth city in the past five years.
2018 Bottom Line
The Broncos signed Keenum to a two-year deal with the anticipation that he’ll be able to stabilize the QB spot that has been a mess the past two years since Peyton Manning retired. While he played like a top-10 QB last year, expect him to regress, as he's in a new system with what could be considered a downgraded group of weapons and a defense that might not be as strong, especially versus the run. If he’s able to stay healthy, Keenum makes for no more than a middle-of-the-pack fantasy QB option.
NFC Conference Championship at Philadelphia Eagles
Case Keenum played well last week, throwing for over 300 yards and a touchdown against the Saints. But he gets a much tougher task this week against the Eagles. Philadelphia has mostly held passers below 200 yards passing, or just above that mark since Week 8, aside from a random 434-yard day from the Giants in Week 15.
Keenum has been on a bit of a cold streak lately, with no multi-touchdown performances for three straight weeks. We expect this game to be a battle of defenses rather than a QB duel, so expect low scoring. Keenum isn't a strong option in the NFC title game.
