Cecil Lammey is a native of Grover (pop: 157) who’s now a national name in NFL and fantasy football circles. This week’s Broncos Q&A is a longtime contributor to ‘Football Guys’ and a radio host on Denver Sports 104.3 The Fan.

The Denver Gazette: How did you carve out a spot in fantasy football with Football Guys?

Cecil Lammey: “Football Guys has been around since the late 1990s. I’ve been with Football Guys since 2005. I actually won a fantasy football contest back in 2005. There was a message board back when message boards were a thing — ‘Old Yeller.’ I have a tremendous ego and I went on there and said, ‘I’m going to win this league and you guys are going to hire me.’ So I won the league — thanks to (Titans quarterback) Billy Volek. I won that league against the ‘Football Guys’ staff.

“My now-boss Joe Bryant said, ‘Hey, let’s start an Internet radio program.’ They weren’t even called podcasts then. So we started ‘The Audible’ in 2006. We’re in our 19th season now. To be a pioneer in the fantasy podcast scene, we’re the longest-running fantasy podcast in the world. I feel very, very honored to continue to represent ‘Football Guys.’”

DG: What is Bo Nix’s future as a fantasy player?

Lammey: “He’s a set-it-and-forget-it starter. He’s a QB1. A QB1 is a top-12 fantasy quarterback. Most of the time with a QB1 it’s a quarterback who can run. Tim Tebow was a QB1 and top-10 fantasy quarterback. Rushing yards and rushing touchdowns are worth more than passing yards and passing touchdowns. As we’ve seen with Bo since the Saints game — when he was 10 (rushes) for 75 (yards) — he doesn’t run anymore. He doesn’t need to. He’s already a QB1 from a fantasy lens. If you have a two-QB league, he’s definitely a starter. If you’ve got Bo Nix as your second quarterback, you’re absolutely set.”

DG: Fantasy-wise it’s been dry around here. Is the Broncos’ fantasy drought over?

Lammey: “Yes. I believe it is over. And it’s only going to get better when they draft (Boise State running back) Ashton Jeanty next year. But it’s getting better because of Bo Nix and Sean Payton. Courtland Sutton had the 10 touchdowns last year. I’m not going to take that away. Courtland is a WR2 now with WR1 upside. And Devaughn Vele is a threat. Everyone was thinking that’s Josh Reynolds, but that’s Vele now. Marvin Mims is a what-the-heck flex now. He’s been one of the hottest waiver-wire pickups lately. That tells you the direction of the franchise when the fantasy spotlight is on you.

“A bunch of fantasy nerds, like myself, will pick up Marvin Mims. And the key for the postseason is Audric Estime. See what he can do. Then you know if it’s Jeanty in the first round, or is it (Kansas running back) Devin Neal in the third round (of the 2025 NFL draft)?”

DG: Where do we want (Colorado quarterback) Shedeur Sanders for optimal fantasy impact in Year 1?

Lammey: “It’s with the New York Giants. How many times has (Giants general manager) Joe Schoen been in Boulder? I think he’s been at almost every game. The people I know with the Giants love Shedeur Sanders. It’s about fit in the NFL. People say it’s a package deal with Shilo and Shedeur. But what if the package deal is with Shedeur and Pat Shurmur? Would the Giants want Shurmur back? And you have the Raiders with (tight end) Brock Bowers. That’s something. That’s something to watch.”

DG: How do I handle my knucklehead friends who keep sending me, the commish, ridiculous trade offers that would never be accepted?

Lammey: “Do you want less headache or a lot of headache?”

DG: No headache. I don’t like these guys anymore.

Lammey: “No headache. Here’s what you do: Don’t let your entire league vote on trades. Get out of those leagues. Get your three best owners — yourself and two other owners. You are the trade committee. You’re going to vote. Odd number. And you close the waiver wire for the fantasy playoffs. Friends in fantasy leagues are very bitter and very fickle. They want to spoil other teams. As a commissioner, you set a committee. Easy. Done.”

DG: Fantasy playoffs start this week. What should owners avoid?

Lammey: “I have what I call the Marci Rossman rule. When I was 15, I had a beautiful girlfriend named Marci Rossman, who was from Eaton, Colorado. I couldn’t date anybody from Grover because I was related to everybody from Grover. So I took Marci to Homecoming. And Marci didn’t know anybody. Then I left her at the dance in Grover so I could go drink beer and egg the principal’s house. Yes, I’m 15. I get back from drinking beer and she dumps me. Totally breaks my heart. I’m crushed.

“So now my rule in the fantasy football playoffs is the ‘Marci Rossman Rule.’ Who got me here? Pat Mahomes got me here. I’m not going to overthink it. Pat Mahomes is not having a great year, fantasy-wise. But he got me here. So I’m starting Pat Mahomes in the playoffs, and I really don’t care about my matchups. Dance with who brought you.”