Broncos vs. Patriots, Week 5: How to watch, what to watch

Game time moved: The Broncos-Patriots game has been moved to next week, Sunday of Week 6, per Adam Schefter. The league is going to reschedule Broncos-Dolphins to make room for this game. UPDATE: The NFL announced it will be rescheduled, but has not confirmed exactly when yet.

Sunday AM update: There has been another positive Covid-19 test for the Patriots and the team has shut down the facility, per multiple reports. The Monday game is in question, but the NFL still plans to play, according to Adam Schefter. There is further testing happening this morning and the NFL will get those results later in the morning.

The New England Patriots will play in an another unusual time slot as the team battles through coronavirus concerns. After playing in the first of two Monday night games last weekend, New England is set to host the Denver Broncos at 5 p.m. ET on Monday.

New England quarterback Cam Newton, cornerback Stephon Gilmore and practice squad player Bill Murray tested positive, and their statuses remain unclear. Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham both struggled at quarterback during last week’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

As for the Broncos, Brett Rypien made his first start last weekend in a victory over the New York Jets. He completed 19 of 31 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw three interceptions in the win. Melvin Gordon III carried the load offensively with 23 carries fro 107 yards and two touchdowns.

TV Info

Date: Monday, Oct. 12
Time: 5:00 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Broadcast map

Notable Statistical rankings (Football Outsiders)

Broncos: #31 Overall — #30 offense, #12 defense, #21 special teams
Patriots: #17 Overall — #17 offense, #23 defense, #14 special teams

DraftKings Sportsbook odds

Broncos: No line yet
Patriots: No line yet
Total: No line yet

Injury report

Broncos

OUT: LB Jeremiah Attaochu (quadricep), RB LeVante Bellamy (knee), TE Noah Fant (ankle), WR K.J. Hamler (hamstring)

QUESTIONABLE: LB Joseph Jones (knee), QB Drew Lock (right shoulder), DT Mike Purcell (knee)

Patriots

QUESTIONABLE: DT Adam Butler (shoulder), WR Julian Edelman (knee), G Shaquille Mason (calf), S Devin McCourty (not injury related), T Isaiah Wynn (calf)

Fantasy football start/sit advice

Broncos

Melvin Gordon: Start him. Gordon went for more than 100 yards and a touchdown last week against the Jets and is clearly the No. 1 guy in the Broncos’ backfield right now against a Patriots defense that isn’t the best against the run.

Patriots

D/ST: Start the New England defense this weekend. Whether Newton plays or not, this game will be won by running the ball, which will limit possessions for both teams. The Patriots are going up against Rypien making his second start coming off a three-interception performance.

Julian Edelman: This doesn’t appear to be a week for him to be in many fantasy lineups. The Patriots have all sorts of questions at quarterback, and Edelman has just five catches for 58 yards the past two weeks. Don’t expect a huge performance from him.