Broncos OC Webb dialing up passes over middle

Waddle gave folks a fright, sporting a walking boot after the Broncos’ Week 3 win over the Rams. He practiced in full all week, though, so there are no concerns about his availability. Waddle is a WR2 against the 49ers in what should be a fantasy-friendly game environment.

Waddle was spotted in a boot after Week 3’s win over the Rams. DNVR’s Zac Stevens reported at the time that he was fine and can comfortably take a victory lap now that Payton has said he practiced in full. Waddle posted a dud in Week 3 with two catches for 10 yards, but he ripped off 138 yards the week before that. The production might come in peaks and valleys, but fantasy managers should hold the line and treat him like a WR2 for a potential shootout with the 49ers this week.

Waddle was spotted in a walking boot after the Broncos’ Sunday night win, prompting speculation over his status. Jane reports that Waddle is “fine” while beat reporter Zac Stevens said a source told him “there’s nothing wrong” with the 27-year-old wideout. The boot certainly could have been a precautionary measure but we will wait for Wednesday’s practice report to find out if Waddle is truly dealing with an injury.

Waddle would also add a successful two-point reception in the third quarter to give him a slight boost in counting stats, although the 6.4-point effort left fantasy managers in desperate need of better production from their fourth-round selection in fantasy drafts. Waddle has now sandwiched poor fantasy outings with one usable game through three weeks. Fantasy managers are likely left to ride out the struggles of the Denver offense in hopes of greener pastures, which could come in a Week 4 showdown with the 49ers. Treat Waddle as an upside WR3, at present.

Sutton tied for the team lead in targets while pacing the offense in yards, which highlights the struggles that persist in Davis Webb’s offense through three games. He will be off the FLEX radar ahead of a Week 4 showdown against the 49ers.

The Broncos were shut out in the first half amidst consistent struggles from Nix, who, for his part, turned in solid production in a third quarter that saw the Broncos knot the game at 16 through two touchdowns and successful two-point conversions. Nix and the Broncos would struggle to move the football again in the fourth quarter but a pick-six from safety Talanoa Hufanga gave them the lead with under five minutes to play. Stafford returned blows to send the Rams to a three-point lead before Nix’s game-winning score from one yard out. That final drive was aided by three key penalties to go against the Rams, the final of which was questionable, to put it kindly. Josh Wallace appeared to intercept Nix for the second time in the fourth quarter but a defensive pass interference penalty was called, giving the Broncos renewed life. Hufanga would intercept Stafford for a second time in the fourth quarter, this time in the end zone, to seal the victory for the Broncos as time expired. Nix and offensive coordinator Davis Webb have not looked good through three games despite the team’s 2-1 record, and will need to clean things up ahead of another NFC West showdown against the 49ers in Week 4. Nix is currently nothing more than a middling QB2.

It was an uneven day for Nix, who missed some routine throws and threw a bad pick in the end zone while targeting Courtland Sutton. He targeted Jaylen Waddle heavily and connected with Waddle for a 49-yard gain in the first half, regularly attacking the Jaguars secondary downfield. After taking far too many sacks in Week 1 against the Chiefs, Nix was not sacked against a solid Jaguars pass rush on Sunday. Nix’s lack of early-season rushing success has dinged his fantasy prospects a bit. He’s a fine superflex option for Week 3 against the Rams, however.

Sutton’s lone end zone target was intercepted on a poor throw from Bo Nix. Last week Sutton had just 11 yards on five targets in the Broncos’ season-opening loss to the Chiefs. Jaylen Waddle, with 148 yards in Week 2, has established himself as the clear-cut WR1 in the Denver offense. Sutton will be a touchdown-dependent WR3/4 option in Week 3 against the Rams.

Waddle was targeted on an obscene 42 percent of his pass routes against the Jaguars. He came up a yard short of a long touchdown in the first half and easily led all Denver pass catchers with ten looks from Bo Nix. Broncos OC Davis Webb’s insistence on force feeding Waddle makes the wideout too big to fail in the balanced Denver offense. Despite a letdown of a Week 1 performance against KC, Waddle should be locked into lineups until further notice. He’ll be a top-20 player in Week 3 against the Rams.

Payton was asked if their offseason acquisition, Waddle, was going to be more involved this week than he was in Week 1. Per Payton, they intended to get Waddle more involved, but acknowledged that the team needs to be “more deliberate” about getting him involved, “without forcing it.” The last-second qualifier is a tad unsettling, but we do expect the Broncos to at least look Waddle’s way early, in order to assuage usage concerns. He is a WR2 against the Jaguars this week.