Welker to Broncos

Wow

As a Broncos fan, I'm stunned. Wes Welker agreed to a two-year, $12 million dollar deal with the Denver Broncos yesterday, in a move that directly takes a weapon from AFC rivals New England. Despite leading the NFL in receiving during his years as a Patriot, something about Welker's personality always seemed like a poor fit for the "New England Way". Case in point: getting benched for his hilarious press conference after it came out that Rex Ryan is a foot fetishist.

I love the move. Denver is clearly going balls out to get a Lombardi or two during Peyton Manning's sunset years. So pumped right now, you guys.

On the flip side, Brady is pissed. But the Patriots acted quickly to ink free agent wide receiver Danny Amendola to a five-year deal. In many ways, Amendola is Welker lite. Its hard to imagine Danny fully filling Welker's role in the offense, but there isn't really any reason to expect New England's offense to slow down since Brady is still behind center.

Fantasy Impact

For the Broncos, Manning is up, while everyone else is down a bit. Especially Stokely, who might not be re-signed. Welker won't get the looks or the production he did in New England, while Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker should expect to see at least a small slice of their numbers shed to Wes. The tight ends, Tamme and Dressen, could see significant reductions. Denver running backs (Steven Jackson, anyone?) should find it easier to run, especially with guard Louis Vasquez signed from San Diego, although the team might get even more pass-centric with all these weapons. I see it as a bit of a wash for the rushing attack.

This has to be seen as a loss for Brady, but probably not a huge one. Welker's production will get split over the tight ends and Amendola. Vereen and Ridley should see more touches, as well.