Denver Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton is second in the league for passing yards (1733 yards), behind only division rival Philip Rivers (1759 yards). Both are fantasy winners this season, but will Kyle Orton continue to perform at his current level?
As long as the Broncos have running backs that can't run the ball and an offensive line that is unable to win the battle in the trenches, Orton will likely continue to throw the ball to his multiple receiving threats. Orton has thrown about 30 receptions to each of his trio of Brandon Lloyd (30 receptions), Eddie Royal (29) and Jabar Gaffney (31).
Tristan H. Cockroft of ESPN.com agrees with that assessment of why Orton is succeeding for fantasy players. He also warns that Orton owners may be in a for a letdown when the Broncos play the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders in the coming weeks. The Jets' Darrelle Revis and the Raiders' Nnamdi Asomugha could keep Orton from connecting with his trio of wide receivers. But after those two games, things look bring for Orton:
He'll crack my top 10 fantasy quarterbacks in Tuesday's 2010 rankings, and a significant reason is this: After his Week 9 bye, these are his remaining matchups: KC, @SD, STL, @KC, @ARI, @OAK, HOU, SD. Boy, his late-season schedule couldn't look much better.
And with five of Orton's last eight games coming against the AFC West, the Broncos will need their running game to appear for any chance at a shot in the postseason. For Broncos fans that matters more than the fantasy points Orton puts up every week.
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