The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Seahawks vs. Broncos Week 6 matchup on Thursday Night Football.
Find a breakdown of every Week 6 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| Seattle | Rank | @ | Denver | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -3.0 | Spread | 3.0 | ||
| 21.75 | Implied Total | 18.75 | ||
| 26.8 | 8 | Points/Gm | 19.4 | 26 |
| 21.0 | 8 | Points All./Gm | 22.2 | 13 |
| 59.4 | 22 | Plays/Gm | 57.4 | 29 |
| 60.6 | 11 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 66.4 | 28 |
| 5.5 | 13 | Off. Yards/Play | 4.7 | 26 |
| 4.1 | 1 | Def. Yards/Play | 5.2 | 13 |
| 46.8% | 12 | Rush% | 41.5% | 21 |
| 53.2% | 21 | Pass% | 58.5% | 12 |
| 44.9% | 23 | Opp. Rush % | 46.4% | 24 |
| 55.1% | 10 | Opp. Pass % | 53.6% | 9 |
- The Seahawks are 29th in offensive EPA (-38.3).
- Seattle is second in defensive EPA (51.9).
- The Seahawks lead the NFL in points off takeaways (44) and are tied for allowing the most points off turnovers (44) in the league with the Chargers.
- Seattle has converted 29.8% (17 of 57) of their third downs, 31st in the league.
- The Broncos have led for 16.7% of their offensive plays, 28th in the league.
- Denver is averaging a league-low 0.88 points per drive in the first half.
- The Broncos have 20 offensive plays of 15 or more yards, tied for last in the league with the Titans and Buccaneers.
- Denver has 11 plays of 20 or more yards, ahead of only the Cardinals (8).
- Seattle has allowed 18 plays of 15-plus yards (2nd) and 10 plays of 20 or more yards (3rd).
Trust = spike production for that player
Seahawks vs. Broncos Fantasy Quarterback Preview
Sam Darnold
Darnold is coming off two tougher outings, finishing as the QB18 (13.3 points) against the Chargers in Week 4 and as the QB26 (8.3 points) Sunday against the 49ers.
Darnold has lost 1.0 EPA or worse on a league-high 25.5% of his dropbacks
This is another matchup that puts Darnold in QB2 territory for gamers.
Denver ranks eighth in passing points allowed per attempt (0.38), allows a 57.6% completion rate (3rd), and gives up 6.7 yards per pass attempt (10th).
They are more mid-pack, allowing a 4.2% touchdown rate (16th).
They've been battle-tested so far, facing Patrick Mahomes, Trevor Lawrence, Matthew Stafford, Brock Purdy, and Justin Herbert.
Denver ranks seventh in pressure rate (40.5%), which is paramount here since pressure has been an issue for Darnold.
When pressured, Darnold has completed 39.5% (15 of 38) of his passes (25th) for 5.3 Y/A (19th).
From a clean pocket, Darnold has completed 80% (48 of 60) of his passes (2nd) for 9.2 Y/A (3rd).
Bo Nix
Even with a change at play-caller, Nix and the Denver offense remained underwhelming on Sunday against the Chargers.
Nix completed 59.3% (16 of 27) of his passes for 123 yards (4.6 Y/A) with a touchdown.
Nix has averaged 5.5 yards per attempt or less in four of five games this season.
Denver has been limited to short, outside throws to open the year.
Nix currently has career lows in air yards per attempt (5.6), air yards to the sticks (-2.3 yards from the sticks), intermediate throw rate (14.8%), deep target rate (7.4%), and throws between the numbers (34.3%).
His career rates are 7.3 air yards per attempt, -0.9 air yards to the sticks, 15.6% intermediate throw rate, 12.6% deep target rate, and 44.8% throws between the numbers.
On top of that, Nix has been under pressure at a career-high 39% rate and is scrambling on a career-low 2.3% of his dropbacks.
I was willing to give Nix and this offense some benefit of the doubt with the change to Sean Payton calling plays and facing back-to-back defenses who take away the middle of the field in the 49ers and Rams, but we saw no changes on Sunday.
Maybe the Broncos called a conservative game plan because of the state of the Chargers offense, but they were down going into the final quarter.
This isn't a strong spot for the passing game to get going, leaving Nix as a back-end QB2.
Seattle is allowing 6.5 yards per pass attempt (5th), a league-low 8.6 yards per completion, and a first down or touchdown on 26.8% of attempts (2nd).
They also face 6.5 air yards per attempt, fifth lowest in the league.
The Seahawks allow 10.7 passing points per game, second in the league.
Seahawks vs. Broncos Fantasy Running Back Preview
Emanuel Wilson
Wilson handled 22 touches for 72 yards and a touchdown on Sunday.
He also lost a fumble.
Wilson played 60% of the snaps, out-touching George Holani 22 to 8.
Volume and touchdown equity are what Wilson is built on as an RB2/FLEX.
He has 75% and 73.3% of the backfield touches over the past two games, with 5 red-zone touches (Holani has none).
Out of 31 running backs with 50-plus attempts, Wilson's 3.4 yards per rush ranks 27th.
He has a 10-plus-yard run on 5.5% of those attempts (28th), with a 34.2% success rate (24th).
Wilson has been hit at the line or in the backfield on 53% of his runs (4th highest) while running into light boxes on just 11% of his runs (29th).
Denver has been spotty against the run to open 2026, offering some matchup appeal.
The Broncos are allowing 4.5 YPC to backs (25th).
They have had issues tackling, allowing only 0.59 yards before contact per rush to backs (3rd) but a league-high 3.92 yards after contact per rush.
J.K. Dobbins
Dobbins handled a season-high 20 touches for 74 yards and a touchdown on Sunday.
18 of his touches were runs.
He has only 5 catches for 22 yards this season.
Dobbins is down across the board as a runner this season.
He is averaging 3.6 yards per carry (24th out of 31 backs with 50-plus attempts).
His 28.1% success ranks ahead of only Quinshon Judkins (26%) and David Montgomery (25%).
His 6.3% explosive run rate ranks 23rd.
Dobbins is a touchdown-dependent RB3.
Denver played conservatively and ran out the clock last week (Dobbins had 7 touches for 44 yards in the fourth quarter).
We can't lean on that against the Seahawks.
He also has one of the league's worst matchups.
Seattle is allowing 3.6 YPC to backfields (5th).
They are allowing 10.2 rushing points per game to backs (7th).
RJ Harvey
Harvey only had 3 touches for 7 yards on Sunday.
He still has no path to rushing work and has not been active near the end zone.
Denver has run the ball on just 23.4% of Harvey's snaps compared to 60% for Dobbins.
Harvey has only 2 red-zone touches on 37% of those snaps.
Harvey is a floor-based RB3/FLEX in full-PPR formats.
If you are looking for angles here, Denver may get pushed into a game script that forces them to throw, elevating Harvey's role.
Running backs account for 26.8% of receptions allowed by Seattle, fourth in the league.
Seahawks vs. Broncos Fantasy Wide Receiver Preview
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Smith-Njigba caught 5 of 8 targets for 102 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, his 7th of the season.
Smith-Njigba had a costly drop late in the game, matching last year's total with three drops this season.
Outside of that mistake, he was dominant again, accounting for 29.6% of Seattle's targets and 52.6% of its air yards.
Smith-Njigba leads the league with a 35.2% target share and 52.4% share of the air yards.
His 16-yard touchdown showcased his YAC ability, which he's elevated this season.
Smith-Njigba is averaging 37.8 yards after the catch per game this season, an early-career high.
Smith-Njigba did appear to tweak his ankle on Sunday.
He had the ankle taped up in the second half but had no restrictions and is expected to be good to go Thursday night.
We will keep tabs on his ankle heading in, but as long as he is clear, Smith-Njigba is a front-end WR1.
Denver got a bit of a pass last week against the Chargers, who were without Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey and had Tre Harris leave early with an injury.
They never challenged Denver's banged-up cornerback room.
Denver will still be without Patrick Surtain here.
Riley Moss is questionable with a rib injury.
With Surtain and Moss out on Sunday, Denver significantly lowered its man-coverage rate to 11.1%, down from 26.4% coming into Sunday.
Jaylen Waddle
Catching 2 of 5 targets for 19 yards on Sunday, Waddle has now logged one week as a WR2 or better through five games.
As highlighted with Nix, this passing game has been reduced to throwing shallow and outside of the numbers, which has done nothing to help Waddle.
70.9% of Waddle's targets are shorter than 10 yards downfield.
His 12.9% intermediate target rate is not only a career low, but also well below the 37% and 37.3% rates from the past two seasons.
This isn't a glowing spot to bank on a turnaround, leaving Waddle as a WR3/FLEX.
Seattle is fifth in points allowed per target to receivers (1.53), allowing a 57.3% catch rate (8th) and 6.7 yards per target (3rd) to wideouts.
Waddle is playing 44% of his snaps in the slot, but that doesn't help him much here.
Seattle is allowing 4.5 yards per target to slot receivers (2nd).
Courtland Sutton
Sutton got into the end zone last week, but still only managed 2 catches for 18 yards on 3 targets.
Even with a touchdown, he was not a WR3 or better in weekly scoring.
Sutton has caught 3 or fewer passes every game this season and has not reached 50 receiving yards.
He and Nix have connected on 2 of 13 targets on throws 10 or more yards downfield.
He is a WR5 for fantasy.
Seattle has been softer on the outside if you're looking for something to latch onto.
The Seahawks allow 8.5 yards per target to outside receivers (15th) and a 6% touchdown rate (24th).
Rashid Shaheed
Shaheed caught 2 of 4 targets for 23 yards on Sunday.
Denver is banged up at cornerback, but Shaheed is still a thin play only for single-game DFS.
Shaheed has played 17 games with Seattle, averaging 1.6 catches for 21.3 yards per game.
He still has not caught a touchdown as a member of the Seahawks.
Cooper Kupp
Kupp grabbed 2 of 3 targets for 15 yards on Sunday, pushing his season totals to 11 catches for 129 yards and a touchdown (15 targets).
Smith-Njigba soaks up so much of the target opportunity in this offense that the other Seattle pass catchers have fought for scraps.
If you're looking for an avenue for Kupp in single-game DFS, Denver allows 9.1 yards per target to slot receivers (21st).
Denver WRs
If you're playing single-game DFS and throwing out punt plays, Troy Franklin got the biggest lift in playing time after Pat Bryant‘s injury.
Franklin ran 18 routes (62%) and caught both targets for 16 yards.
Lil'Jordan Humphrey ran 7 routes, catching 1 of 2 targets for 8 yards.
Marvin Mims ran 4 routes and caught both targets for 6 yards.
Seahawks vs. Broncos Fantasy Tight End Preview
Evan Engram
Engram caught all 4 of his targets for a season-high 55 yards on Sunday.
Stuck as a TE2, Engram is the TE31 in fantasy points per route (0.25) and is only running a route on 64.2% of the Denver dropbacks (TE21).
Seattle is allowing 4.2 yards per target to tight ends (2nd).
AJ Barner
Catching 3 of 5 targets of 20 yards in Week 5, Barner has 12 catches for 122 yards through five games.
Barner has been on the field for 77.8% of dropbacks (TE8), making him a touchdown-dependent TE2 if you take a swing on him.
More Week 6 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Week 6 NFL Games | Time |
|---|---|
| Seahawks @ Broncos | Thursday Night Football |
| Texans vs. Jaguars | Sunday -- 9:30 a.m. ET |
| Panthers @ Eagles | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Titans @ Colts | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Steelers @ Buccaneers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bears @ Falcons | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Ravens @ Browns | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Jets @ Patriots | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Saints @ Giants | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Cardinals @ Rams | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Chargers @ Chiefs | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Bills @ Raiders | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Cowboys @ Packers | Sunday Night Football |
| Commanders @ 49ers | Monday Night Football |