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Making wholesale changes can help fantasy football owners forget the sting of a late-season team collapse. We get to start over after having a rough December, and even in keeper leagues, it doesn't take much to make a significant trade and change course. In the real world, however, this type of thing rarely happens. Then again, no team finished the 2008 season the way the Denver Broncos did. They lost their final three games, allowing 52 points in the finale, to take what appeared to be a surefire playoff team and send it to the golf course.

You might not recognize some of the key figures on this team anymore. Coach Mike Shanahan, for years far more foe than friend to fantasy owners, was sent packing and ultimately replaced by former Patriots offensive brain Josh McDaniels. Franchise quarterback Jay Cutler felt dissed by being involved in offseason trade talks, demanded a trade and got sent to Chicago, with draft picks and Kyle Orton coming back. The running back situation has many names vying for playing time, including the team's first-round pick and multiple newcomers, but no clear-cut leader. And, of course, not only does dynamic wide receiver Brandon Marshall seem to realize his production is likely to be cut by the quarterback change, but he is also likely to incur a league suspension due to more questionable offseason, off-field decision making.

Basically, forget what you know about the Broncos from 2008, because there are a lot more questions heading into this season than there have been in years.

What to look for in camp

Key position battles: The Broncos didn't seem to be in the market for a running back on NFL draft day, not after signing Correll Buckhalter, LaMont Jordan and J.J. Arrington in the offseason to compete for carries. Arrington failed a physical and was cut before the team's organized activities, but there was still plenty of depth here even before Knowshon Moreno was brought in as the team's first-round pick. Maybe the Broncos are covering their bases after an unlikely turn of events the previous season, when little went right with the ground game and pretty much everyone got hurt.

Fantasy owners know of the long-standing love Shanahan and the Broncos have with the rushing attack, so they always pounce on whomever earns the starting role, even if the whim of the coach will change from week to week. For example, Ryan Torain was a fifth-round pick in 2008, but fantasy owners anxiously wait for him to get a chance, which he did on a Thursday night in November. Torain scored a touchdown and ran well, then tore his ACL. The Broncos gave all their running backs a chance in 2008, from Michael Pittman to Selvin Young; seven of them ended up on injured reserve and nobody gained as many as 350 rushing yards.

McDaniels isn't Shanahan, and there's little indication what he might do with his running back personnel at this point. Most fantasy owners probably expect Moreno to seize the starting role, but there's no guarantee that the rookie will get acclimated to the role right away. Buckhalter has never been a regular starter, and while he leads the depth chart at running back for now, he'll be tested. Jordan (a former Jet, Raider and Patriot) might hurt the value of whoever gets the lion's share of the carries anyway if he's named the goal-line option. The bottom line: This is a very interesting situation to watch.

McDaniels avoided any quarterback controversy by naming Orton his starter over fellow newcomer Chris Simms in mid-June, a move both quarterbacks actually praised. When Cutler got his way and was sent out of town, it was initially a bit surprising to see Orton come back in the deal. It's not that Orton didn't have a nice stretch last season with the Bears, but when you think about the terrific stats Cutler was able to provide, can you really see Orton doing that? It's up to McDaniels now. Cutler passed for more than 4,500 yards and threw 25 touchdowns.

Fitting in: Not only does Orton go from one conference to another, but the game plan he's learning probably won't look anything like the one used in Chicago. It's tough to judge Orton on what he's done in the past, since this is likely to be a very different situation. For the first half of last season, Orton managed to overcome a lack of weapons and was definitely fantasy-worthy, with 10 touchdowns in a five-game period. An ankle injury cost him a week, and probably a month's worth of games in terms of effectiveness, and he was never the same. While it's true Orton has never put up the numbers Cutler did in 2008, that doesn't mean he's not capable. McDaniels did turn previously unheralded backup Matt Cassel into something interesting, McDaniels can probably do it with Orton. However, is it really Orton the one fitting in, Marshall and Eddie Royal to him, or is McDaniels' offense on everyone?

On the line: For years Shanahan was able to plug in different names as the main running back, some of them seemingly out of nowhere, because of the viability of the offensive line. A few of the O-line names changed in 2008; first-round pick Ryan Clady stepped right in at left tackle and dominated, and Ryan Harris started at right tackle. Veteran center Tom Nalen didn't make it to Week 1 in 2008, but 35-year-old Casey Wiegmann filled in and ended up in the Pro Bowl and with a contract extension. Ben Hamilton and Chris Kuper were solid at guard. Even though Shanahan could never find the right option at running back, the O-line wasn't at fault. Cutler was clearly protected, as the Broncos allowed only 12 sacks, a franchise record-low. Orton could be a very lucky man.

On the mend: Despite all the newcomers and a list of returning players coming back from injuries -- notably running back Ryan Torain from an ACL tear -- it's really all about Brandon Marshall. Not only is he on the mend from offseason hip surgery, but it's hard to tell whether he likes the new regime or not. A year ago, Marshall was recovering from a freak arm injury in which he damaged a nerve, and he attributed some of his dropped passes to the injury. Now it's the hip. Is he healthy? Is he disgruntled? Is he on the way to being suspended? Whether he's fighting the team, his health or the law, there's certainly nothing boring about Marshall.

The bottom line

Even with Shanahan gone, it won't be easy for the current group of Broncos to forget about last December and the way the season ended. McDaniels and Orton are certainly under a great deal of pressure not only to get the franchise back on track, but also to avoid another late-season collapse. The distractions Marshall always seems to present will probably overshadow how the new coach and quarterback fit in, and what happens with the long list of viable running back options. Add it all up, and this is a very interesting Broncos team heading into training camp, one which could send fantasy owners in a lot of different directions.

Eric Karabell is a senior writer for ESPN.com who covers fantasy baseball, football and basketball. Check out his daily Baseball Today podcast at ESPN Podcenter. He has twice been honored as fantasy sports writer of the year by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. His book, "The Best Philadelphia Sports Arguments," was published by Source Books and is available in bookstores. Contact Eric by e-mailing him here.