Devaughn Vele

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.

Nix and the Broncos' offense started out red hot, as they scored touchdowns on their first three drives. He found Devaughn Vele and Michael Burton on short touchdown throws in the first 30 minutes, and looked to be having another outstanding fantasy game. Things did not go nearly as well over the final two quarters, however, and the Broncos scored just three points while picking up just six first downs in the third and fourth quarter. When Nix threw short things went well, but the deep shots remain inconsistent -- at best -- and in particular a throw to a wide-open Marvin Mims had entirely too much air into it; eliminating what could have been a long scoring play for both. Nix and the Broncos have what is now a massive Week 17 matchup against the Bengals.

Devaughn Vele is older than half the Broncos' roster, but the seventh-rounder has carved out a place.

Coming off of performances of 66 and 88 yards over his past two outings, Vele was a no-show against the Colts amid major struggles from Bo Nix. Vele ran a pass route on 26 of the team's 39 drop backs but was not involved in the passing attack. Marvin Mims was second on the Broncos (behind Courtland Sutton) with four targets. Vele will be a deep league option next week against the Chargers.