The Denver Broncos may not have TE Julius Thomas on Sunday after an ankle injury and fantasy football owners should look at Coby Fleener, Charles Clay, Kyle Rudolph, Jermaine Gresham, Niles Paul, Jacob Tamme, Jordan Reed, Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Marcedes Lewis as potential replacement start options, as Thomas likely will be questionable for the game against Miami.
Thomas has been one of the best tight ends in football this season and he had to leave the game for the Broncos on Sunday after sustaining an ankle injury. ESPN.com reports that Thomas has been able to walk without a boot or a limp since the game, but it's likely he will be questionable for the Week 12 matchup. Fantasy owners would be wise to handcuff Jacob Tamme just in case, as he led the Broncos in targets after Thomas went down last week.
Charles Clay and Coby Fleener have played well in recent weeks and they could also be solid start options for Thomas for fantasy owners. Kyle Rudolph has returned from an injury and the Vikings TE could be another sleeper option, as he played well on Sunday in limited snaps and could see more time moving forward. Rudolph did not factor into the passing game in his first week back, but now he should be more in line with his past numbers as he gets his feet under him again.
Jermaine Gresham, Niles Paul and Larry Donnell are also solid spot starters if Thomas is limited or misses time, as Gresham made it into the endzone twice this past weekend against the Saints. Thomas has been killer this year getting into the endzone, scoring 12 times this season to lead all TEs. Even if Thomas plays on Sunday he is likely to be limited and he comes in with 40 catches this season for 426 yards. Last year Thomas was great for the Broncos, scoring 12 times and making 65 catches for over 750 yards.
Fleener is playing in an offense where he has tons of chances to get his hands on the ball and now that the Colts have the Jaguars next, he could be a great start option. Fleener had the best game of his career against the Pats and with Dwayne Allen ailing with an injury, he could be a prime option. Fleener had seven catches for 144 yards and that came a week after he had 11 targets against the Giants. Fleener is a favorite target for Luck and he should be getting increased looks with Allen hobbled.
Thomas and his injury could give Tamme more targets, as Peyton Manning loves to hit the TE position. Tamme is a TE2 start option, but the Broncos have a solid matchup with the Dolphins and he comes in after catching four passes last week. Tamme has just 10 catches this season, but he could see a boost this week if Emmanuel Sanders or Thomas misses time Sunday.
