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WR Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos

HT: 6-4, WT: 230, Born: 3-23-1984, College: Central Florida, Drafted: Round 4

2008 Projections

Average draft position

Current as of June 28th. [Full ADP list]

Overall: M Turner (35), W Parker (36), Brandon Marshall (37), W Welker (38), E Graham (39)
Position: T Holt (33-WR11), P Burress (34-WR12), Brandon Marshall (37 - WR13), W Welker (38-WR14), A Boldin (41-WR15)
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 Click here to go to the Brandon Marshall spotlight, our staff's most detailed analysis.

Best Case

E15, also known as Brandon Marshall, proved that he belonged in the upper tier of NFL WRs in 2007. He had the type of breakout season that few predicted, with an amazing 102 receptions on 170 targets, with 7 TDs. Brandon proved to be a favorite of QB Jay Cutler, and Jay would look for Brandon whenever the Broncos needed a big play. Marshall not only made plays as a "jump ball" receiver, but also with his fantastic run after the catch ability. Brandon moves very well for a WR his size, and can take any short pass and turn it into a long gain. With his immense size he can prove to be quite difficult for opposing DBs and S to bring down. He also has a wicked spin move that he likes to break out from time to time. With more weapons added on the offense it means that defenses won't be keying exclusively on Marshall in passing situations. Brandon could easily see a repeat of 2007, with a few more receptions and TDs thrown in. At the end of the season it would not be surprising to see E15 as a top 5 fantasy WR.

Worst Case

With an offseason injury to his arm, Brandon Marshall may not be able to catch the ball consistently ever again. Currently the doctors have proclaimed that his arm is healing fabulously, but we have to see how the nerve damage responds in training camp. That means even the Broncos don't know what to FULLY expect from Brandon Marshall this season. Will he be great again, will he be just average, will he be the next Darius Watts? At this point it's anyone's guess as to what the answer will be. If Marshall does not recover from the injury then 2008 could be a devastating year for the Broncos passing game, and Marshall could fall out of the top 30 in the league. One more thing to worry about: Marshall was arrested in March on a misdemeanor battery charge (his third arrest in twelve months) and could possibly face a two-game suspension from the league.

Outlook

At this point in time Brandon Marshall is ahead of his recovery schedule. All signs indicate that he will be 100% and ready to go by the time that training camp rolls around to Dove Valley in August. With the addition of WRs like Darrell Jackson, Keary Colbert, Samie Parker, and Eddie Royal one can expect Marshall's targets to decline, and not only because of the injury. Jay Cutler called Marshall out for his immaturity, but even Jay knows that his best chance at success is with a fully healthy Brandon Marshall. While E15's numbers may go down as far as receptions go, his TDs could actually increase. This would once again put him back amongst the top 10 WRs in the NFL and fantasy football, which is right where he belongs.

Relevant Articles

Why he is overvalued

Mike Brown - Marshall is one of the more talented receivers in the league, and he's in a prime situation to excel. Too bad he can't maintain some level of off-the-field discipline. Yes, it was an accident when he injured his arm this offseason. That didn't stop Jay Cutler from calling him out for being immature. I'm learning to avoid these receivers with their antics, if not for the stats then for the lack of indigestion.

2008 Schedule

2007 Game Summaries

Week 1 - The second year receiver from Central Florida is 6'4" and scored the only Denver TD. The Broncos were at the Bills five yard line and Cutler hit him with a fade pass near the back corner of the end zone where he used his physical advantage to score.

Week 2 - Marshall showed just how strong he was, shrugging off numerous arm tackles on a number of his catches. He caught five of his nine targets for a total of 82 yards. Those numbers don't do his game justice, as he had a 24 yard touchdown called back on a questionable offensive pass interference call, and another 17 yard gain nullified by a holding penalty. Jay Cutler appears to have confidence in Marshall to make the touch catch in traffic, and often looked his way on third downs, four of which Marshall got the first down on.

Week 3 - Marshall was without question Cutler's favorite target in this game. He used his size and leaping ability on some plays, speed on others, while running good routes to get open. Marshall ran very well after the catch, breaking tackles on most of his receptions. Three passes were deflected from him at the last moment and one was overthrown, or he could have posted even greater numbers.

Week 4 - The main focus of the Denver Broncos passing attack in the absence of Javon Walker, Brandon Marshall posted three catches for 23 yards with a seven yard touchdown in the first quarter. Marshall did drop one easy catch and allowed Marlon Jackson to step in front of him for an interception. Walker's hold as the number one option in the Broncos passing game is still secure when he returns from injury.

Week 5 - Marshall really stood to have a big game with the absence of Javon Walker, but he simply couldn't capitalize. Perhaps it was the lack of another legitimate weapon in the passing game that caused San Diego to focus so much attention on Marshall. Whatever the case, Marshall rarely had any wiggle room when the ball was thrown his way and the Chargers typically had one or two players draped all over him at all times. About the only time that Marshall did find some room to roam, he took a pass for 26 yards down to the San Diego nine yard line and promptly fumbled the ball away. He was carelessly holding the ball away from his body nearly the entire time, and the smallest jostle from S Marlon McCree knocked the ball loose. Marshall was targeted in the end zone on a deep ball late in the game, but it fell incomplete.

Week 7 - Marshall was the de facto number one wide receiver with Javon Walker out with his injured knee, and he responded by leading the team in targets. He suffered from some poor accuracy from Cutler and less than stellar catch attempts early on, but settled in to lead the team in receptions and yardage. Marshall continued to show excellent run after the catch ability, as he rarely went down on first contact and showed good vision and moves in the open field.

Week 8 - Two of Marshall's receptions came on Denver's game tying drive at the end of regulation. The big play of the series came when he hauled in a Jay Cutler pass and was able to turn it into a 35 yard gain that took the ball into field goal range. On the very next play, Marshall made a 13 yard reception that moved the ball to the Packers 13 yard line. His only other reception of the night came in the third quarter and went for 26 yards.

Week 9 - Marshall was targeted a game high 19 times. He caught only nine of the targets for 96 yards. Marshall was Ramsey's first choice on key short yardage passing plays, including two quick slants on third and fourth down plays in the third quarter. Either play could have resulted in a touchdown, but Ramsey threw the first pass well behind him. The second pass was broken up by the defense.

Marshall dropped two passes.

Week 10 - Second year receiver Marshall is establishing himself as the current top wide receiver for the Broncos and Jay Cutler's favorite target. With top wideout Javon Walker out with an injury and perennial all pro Rod Smith on the PUP list, Marshall has helped solidify the passing game for Denver. He caught six of the nine passes Cutler directed towards him for 85 yards.

Week 11 - Marshall had a very complete game. He led the team in receptions and finished second to Brandon Stokley in yardage. Marshall's touchdown was a perfect example of his elusiveness, as he broke free of the tackle attempt to race for the score. He also has a nice 16 yard end around where he pump faked to freeze the defense and gain some extra yards. He continues to run with great balance and agility, and is very hard to tackle due to his unique combination of size, skill, and athleticism. Marshall made several tough snags in tight coverage, and showed good hands doing so. He also threw several impressive and effective blocks throughout the game.

Week 12 - Marshall got behind the defense for his 68 yard touchdown, and showed determination on the field in this game with strong blocking to aid in a couple of the Broncos touchdowns. With Javon Walker not seeing much time on the field, Marshall filled the void and demanded the ball.

Week 13 - Marshall was targeted a game high ten times. He led the Broncos with six receptions mostly of the short variety. 32 of Marshall's yards came on one play. His other five grabs netted only 35 yards. Marshall leads NFL receivers in yardage after catch and continued that trend in this game. Marshall frequently broke tackles to gain hard fought yards. Most of the yardage on Marshall's 32 yard gain came after he spun out of a tackle and found open running room down the sideline.

Marshall was guilty of one dropped pass.

Week 14 - Marshall had another impressive performance. With Rod Smith out for the year and Javon Walker missing his eighth game of the year due to injury, Marshall has clearly taken over as the top receiving threat for the Broncos. He was targeted 13 times and caught ten of them for 115 yards. Twice he caught passes for touchdowns. He is gaining the appearance of an all purpose offensive weapon for the Broncos. He once appeared ready to throw the ball and he did gain ten yards rushing. On his last play of the contest, he went down hard and seemed to clutch his side. He was attended to on the sidelines by the Broncos' staff. The game was essentially over at that time and he did not come back in.

Week 15 - Marshall missed three touchdown opportunities in the first half. Two of the plays were broken up by the defense and the other missed opportunity came on a low pass from QB Jay Cutler in front of the end zone which Marshall grabbed but could not corral. He was clutching his arm throughout the game and was forced to spend some time on the sideline in the first quarter. However, the apparent injury did not slow him down or hinder his tenacious style of play as he muscled his way for every possible yard and did not shy away from contact.

Week 16 - Marshall somehow turned a six catch, 75 yard performance into a quiet affair. He had one long catch downfield for 27 yards, and fought off multiple tacklers on a run after the catch that was impressive. But he never scored or came close to, never dropped a potential big gainer, and basically put up decent stats solely because of his status as the team's number one wideout. Sort of like "somebody has to catch the passes...it might as well be him."

Week 17 - Marshall played like a beast against the smaller Vikings defensive backs. He used his body to get position. He also took a few quick swing passes, made defenders miss, and got good yardage after the catch. On one reception, he leaped over his defender and pulled the ball away, making the catch. The Vikings simply had no answer for Marshall.