Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

We broke the news during Friday’s Bruno Boys Friday Live Chat that the Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall has been deactivated for Week 17’s must win game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Coach Josh McDaniels made the announcement during a morning interview with the hosts of The Opening Drive on Sirius NFL Network. Although Marshall is dealing with a hamstring injury sustained in practice Wednesday, McDaniels said that the decision to sit Marshall was a coach’s decision based on an accountability issue. He further stated that a number of other Broncos players will play Sunday with injuries worse than Marshall’s. Sources close to the Broncos say that Marshall did not want to play through his hamstring injury. For his part, Marshall said that he will avoid a war of words with McDaniels though he commented that McDaniels had never played in the NFL and didn’t relate to the challenges of playing through an injury.

Bruno Boys Take: The loss of Marshall is potentially the death knell in Denver’s quest to secure a playoff spot. In his last four games against the Chiefs, Marshall has had at least seven receptions and one touchdown in each game. If you own Marshall, bench him immediately. Depending on the strength of the WR options on your bench, you might check the wire to see if Jabar Gaffney is available and if so, grab him. He moves up as a potential replacement for Marshall this week. Other Denver options include Eddie Royal if he is active and Brandon Stokely. We are looking to confirm rumors that McDaniels is also benching tight end Tony Scheffler for Week 17 because of an attitude problem. The Denver Post reports that Scheffler has been unhappy with his lack of role in the team’s offense this season. Stay tuned for updates on the situation in Denver throughout the weekend.