Bo Nix

Broncos QB Bo Nix was sharp in the first half of Thursday night's game vs. the Chargers, completing 15 of 21 passes for 155 yards and two TDs. He found FB Michael Burton for a one-yard score on a well-designed play-action rollout in the first quarter. Then he hit WR Devaughn Vele from six yards out on a well-placed pass to the back corner of the end zone. Nix had a tougher time in the second half, though, totaling just 108 scoreless yards. The Chargers ratcheted up the pressure on Nix over the final 30 minutes and eliminated Denver's downfield passing game. Nix finished the game with just 3.3 air yards per pass attempt -- the second-lowest by any player in a game all season, per NFL Next Gen Stats.

Vele snagged a six-yard touchdown from Bo Nix near the middle of the second quarter to give the Broncos a 21-10 lead. The Chargers dominated from that point on, and Vele wasn't a factor for the rest of the contest. The 27-year-old rookie -- still a weird thing to type -- has been much more relevant than anticipated, but fantasy players should be able to find much better options than Vele in Week 17 against the Bengals.

Williams showed off his burst on a 15-yard rush and was an effective safety valve for Bo Nix, but as per usual, most of the touches didn't result in much for the 24-year-old. Audric Estime was the much more effective runner, but Estime's inability to help in the passing game serves to Williams' benefit. Jaleel McLaughlin sat out Thursday with a quad injury, and his potential return in Week 17 against the Bengals makes this a muddy situation that won't likely clear up before the end of the year.

The overwhelming majority of the yardage for Mims came on a swing pass from Bo Nix that resulted in a 53-yard dash down the sideline. Outside of that he was mostly a non-factor, but that shouldn't have been the case. Mims cooked the Chargers' secondary on what should have resulted on a long touchdown, but Nix put far too much air on the pass to change the long score into an incompletion. Mims will likely remain a gadget player for Week 17 against the Bengals. The question is whether that will change in the coming years.

Nix completed 29 of 40 passes for 263 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions and added three rushes for 25 yards in the Broncos' 34-27 loss to the Chargers on Thursday night. He also fumbled once but Denver retained possession.