Denver Broncos Week 8 Stock Report

After their Week 7 bye, the Broncos maintain an undefeated record, sitting atop the AFC West with a 6-0 record. They return home this week to take on a fellow undefeated team as they play the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football.

Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak knows the challenge the Packers present: “Two good football teams. Obviously, the quarterbacks speak for themselves and what they've done in their career. Two teams that are very solid, playing very well in a lot of areas. When you don't give up points, you're going to win in this league. That's what these two teams have done.”

Kubiak expressed: “I'm very impressed with the job [Packers head coach] Mike [McCarthy] does and how consistent they've been. We know we've got our work cut out for us. We need to have a great week as we prepare.”

Some players on the Broncos will see their stock on the rise coming out of the bye. Others have seen their stock tumble going into the bye week, and those situations may not change after the break.

Here is the stock report for the Broncos as they head into Week 8.

Stock Up: CB Aqib Talib

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The Broncos defense is opportunistic, and they’ll need to play at a high level against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in Week 8. Cornerback Aqib Talib leads the Broncos with three interceptions so far in 2015. He’s turned two of those interceptions into touchdowns that helped seal victories for the Broncos. Needless to say, opposing quarterbacks know that targeting Talib is a dangerous proposition.

He spent time during the bye week scouting the Packers.

“I definitely did," Talib said. "I started on them early. I watched all of their games over the bye week and watched myself. You need the time for extra studying for a team like this.”

Kubiak appreciates the shutdown corner.

“Nobody is more into football every day," Kubiak said. "He loves to play. He's a character and those kinds of things, but he loves to play. He's always in, always talking, so to me, he's successful because he works at it.”

Competing against an offense led by a high-caliber quarterback such as Rodgers is going to be a challenge. Having Talib cover wide receiver James Jones is going to hurt what the Packers can do in the red zone. If he's tested, Talib may come through with more game-changing plays.

Stock Down: TE Owen Daniels

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The production from tight end Owen Daniels hasn’t been good enough this season. Compared to the tight ends the Broncos let depart in free agency—Julius Thomas and Jacob Tamme—Daniels is coming up short. Both Thomas (102) and Tamme (266) have more receiving yards than Daniels (84).

These former Broncos have more receiving yards than Daniels despite running fewer routes. While Daniels has run 190 routes in 2015, Thomas has missed time due to injury and only has 89 routes. Tamme has almost tripled Daniels receiving yardage this year, and yet he’s only run 154 routes.

It’s been strange to see a Kubiak offense struggle to get the tight ends involved. He is known for having a tight end-friendly offense, and Daniels was expected to be more productive given he’s only played in this offense during his entire pro career.

Kubiak revealed this week that another tight end might be more involved coming out of the bye: “I'm hoping that getting [TE] Richard [Gordon] back and having some time with him from the standpoint of what we're doing tight end-wise, that we can grow a little bit. I guess, what I should say, is get them more involved.

"If Richard can handle his business and the group can calm down a little bit, hopefully we can get a little bit more.”

Gordon is mostly known as a blocking tight end, so he would be unlikely to steal targets or catches away from Daniels. However, if Gordon can get on the field to block more, we could see an increased role as a pass-catcher for Virgil Green. It appears Daniels is trending down coming out of the bye.

Stock Up: LB Brandon Marshall

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After six games, strong-side inside linebacker Brandon Marshall leads the team in tackles with 48. He plays with a chip on his shoulder and arrives at the ball-carrier with natural violence. Against a potentially high-powered offense such as the Packers, Marshall is going to have to be at the top of his game.

He believes the game is going to come down to which defense is best on Sunday.

“A lot will be made about the two quarterbacks, and rightfully so," Marshall said. "Those guys have amassed brilliant careers. [Packers QB] Aaron Rodgers is still young, but the guy is having a hell of a career. I think at the end of the day, it will come down to which defense plays the best. You have two great quarterbacks who put up a lot of points. What defense plays the best, I think that's who will win the game.”

Much of the action is going to be funneled in Marshall’s direction. He has a take-no-prisoners mentality and is tough on running backs. The Packers are coming in with a banged-up Eddie Lacy as their starter. James Starks is a talented backup, but he could find little running room against Marshall and the Broncos defense.

Stock Down: QB Peyton Manning

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Things haven’t looked good for the Broncos offense this season—largely due to the inconsistent play of quarterback Peyton Manning. He’s yet to play in a single game this year without throwing an interception.

The bye week is a good time for the team to examine what it's doing wrong on offense. Manning had an opportunity to rest during the week away from the facility, and he might continue to receive a midweek break as he has each week this season.

Kubiak wouldn’t reveal if Manning would practice Wednesday: “We're going to talk about that today. I would say no, but obviously, he's had some good rest. We'll see. I think that he will practice some on Wednesday. How much? I don't know, we'll see.”

Manning has been struggling this year. Mostly, he looks uncomfortable with what he’s being asked to do within the Kubiak system. Manning is not fleet afoot and looks odd when rolling out to throw a pass. The veteran quarterback also looks rough when working from under center.

Perhaps the Broncos will run more plays out of the shotgun formation. This way, Manning is set back seven yards away from the line of scrimmage, which gives him plenty of room to step into this throws. With proper mechanics, he can still throw with touch intermediately and even on some longer throws.

The needle may be pointing down for Manning for now, but if this superstar can get back on track, then there will be an immediate and swift rise to his stock.

Stock Up: RB Ronnie Hillman

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

The Broncos have played six games in 2015, but in only two of those contests did they have a back break the 100-yard mark. Ronnie Hillman has been the most productive runner for the team even though he has played this season as a backup to C.J. Anderson.

Coming out of the bye, we could see Hillman in the lineup to start the game.

He has the speed to get to and through holes quickly. The offensive line has struggled to blast open holes this year, so Hillman’s speed comes in handy before the already cramped lanes get even more cramped.

The backside pursuit down the line of scrimmage does not hesitate when going after the running back. This is caused by poor offensive line play, but it’s also happening regularly because no defender is worried about Manning running the ball. Hillman’s speed works well in this situation as he can scamper away from defenders faster than Anderson can.

Hillman is not relied on as a blocker or receiver out of the backfield, so the Broncos will continue to employ some form of running back by committee. However, Hillman could get as many as 20 carries and lead the running backs in snaps, while Anderson could get about 12 carries and maybe a small handful of receptions.

In order for the Broncos to win games against tough teams such as the Packers, they need the rushing attack to come through—not only to move the chains and put the team in scoring position but also to take time off the clock and keep the defense fresh. Hillman began the season as a backup, but now he’s a key player for the offense—and the team’s—success.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos' media department unless otherwise noted. Advanced stats via ESPN's employees-only database.

Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions.