The Denver Broncos will start Brock Osweiler in Week 12 against the New England Patriots white Peyton Manning deals with a foot injury. Manning is visiting with a foot specialist and he is hoping to get back under center soon, while Ronnie Hillman is a top fantasy football start option for team owners over CJ Anderson against the Pats.
Osweiler started in place of Manning on Sunday and led the Broncos to a win over the Chicago Bears and now he will get the chance to face off against Tom Brady. According to Chris Mortensen at ESPN, head coach Gary Kubiak said that Osweiler will get another chance to start while Manning tries to come back from a foot injury. Osweiler played well against the Bears, completing 20-of-27 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns and if he continues to play at a high level, the Broncos could consider keeping Osweiler under center.
Manning reportedly is "absolutely determined" to get healthy, according to sources who spoke with Pro Football Talk. Manning wants to play again this season and he is hoping to recover from numerous injuries, including a partially torn plantar fascia and a rib injury. Manning has not been playing great this season even when he has been under center, but if he is healthy, the Broncos likely will put him back under center. Osweiler showed that he can handle the offense for Gary Kubiak and at this point he remains the starter.
Manning is obviously the "better" quarterback than Osweiler based on his career, but right now, Osweiler might be the better option for Denver. Osweiler is more mobile and is not as banged up as Manning and he could be better off running the offense for Kubiak over Manning. The decision to put Manning back in will be a big one, but the Broncos are not at that point yet. According to Lindsay Jones of USA Today, Manning is seeing a foot specialist to get another opinion on his injury.
The injury will keep Manning from having another showdown with Tom Brady and Osweiler now will get the chance to start against the Patriots after winning over the Bears. Ronnie Hillman and the Broncos rushing attack had their best performance in a number of weeks with Osweiler starting and that also could be a factor in what the team does at QB. The rushing game has been inconsistent and a big part of the Kubiak offense is play action and that worked much better with Osweiler under center.
Hillman had over 100 yards in the game and CJ Anderson contributed with 12 carries for 59 yards. Hillman remains the lead back and is the better start option over Anderson, as he had 21 carries and a touchdown while averaging nearly five yards per carry. The Broncos now will try and knock off the undefeated Patriots in Week 12.
