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    Jaylen Waddle utterly erased in loss to Chiefs

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    DEN Wide Receiver #17
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    Jaylen Waddle caught 1-of-2 targets for two yards in the Broncos’ Week 1 loss to the Chiefs.

    The entire Denver offense struggled to get anything going on a night they managed only 176 yards of total offense, clearly no match for Steve Spagnuolo’s Kansas City defense. Most troubling was the fact that this was the first time new offensive coordinator Davis Webb was calling plays after head coach Sean Payton announced this offseason that he would be relinquishing those duties on game days. It is unclear how long the Broncos will stick with that setup if the offense continues to struggle as it did against the Chiefs, particularly considering the team holds the honor of having the most difficult schedule during the first six weeks of the season. Waddle will look to return to his status as an upside-WR2 when the Broncos host the Jaguars in Week 2.
Cousins is showing Mendoza how to be an NFL QB
Las Vegas Raiders radio analyst Kirk Morrison joins Not So Fast to detail the 2-0 this season, how Kirk Cousins has looked so far, how Fernando Mendoza is approaching this season and much more.

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  • DEN Wide Receiver #17
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    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.
  • DEN Wide Receiver #17
    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.
  • DEN Quarterback #10
    Nix during his postgame presser defended offensive play caller Davis Webb, who took over for head coach Sean Payton this offseason. “The players did not make it easy on [Webb] today,” said Nix, who completed 17-of-28 passes for 131 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in Monday night’s loss to Kansas City. “Pretty pitiful, actually.” Denver had the league’s second lowest drop back EPA of Week 1; only the Falcons were worse. Nix, meanwhile, ranked 28th out of 32 qualifying QBs in Week 1 accuracy. “We called exactly what we prepared for and what we wanted to get to and we just didn’t execute,” Nix said. “Then we were behind.” Webb and the Broncos will look to bounce back in Week 2 against a tough Jaguars defense.
  • DEN Quarterback #10
    Nix looked mobile and eager to chuck it downfield. He even had a few overthrows, which we suppose is a good thing for a quarterback who spent the offseason rehabbing an ankle injury. The Broncos quarterback linked up with new WR Jaylen Waddle for a 35-yard gain down the seam and targeted WR Courtland Sutton a couple of times along the sideline. He found tonight’s starting RB RJ Harvey speeding down the right side of the field on a wheel route, and linked up with the second-year running back for a 21-yard touchdown to conclude the first drive. New OC Davis Webb regularly dialed up play action, which is great for fantasy purposes. Nix looks like a low-end QB1.
  • DEN Wide Receiver #17
    Waddle missed an extended amount of time due to what was being classified as a muscle strain by head coach Sean Payton. The veteran receiver officially returned to the practice field on Monday, with Payton saying after practice that Waddle was “coming along really well.” We’ll see how things go for Waddle in the coming days, but hopefully this issue is behind him. Waddle is expected to play a big role in the Broncos’ passing game this season and profiles as a solid WR2.
  • DEN Wide Receiver #17
    Waddle has been working through a muscle strain, per head coach Sean Payton, since last week. It was reported on Thursday that he would return within 4-5 days, so we’re nearing the point where we would expect to see him on the field. He was seen working off to the side during Saturday’s practice, so hopefully another day or two of rest will be enough for him to return. Waddle is expected to be the top pass-catcher for the Broncos this season and was having a nice camp before going down.
  • DEN Wide Receiver #17
    That’s exactly the news fantasy managers were hoping to see after Waddle experienced “some muscle tightness” earlier in the week, prompting his time away from practice. The veteran free agent addition worked to the side Saturday and also shed the leg sleeve he had been seen to be wearing the previous two days, running with no changes in gait. Fantasy managers can breathe a sigh of relief as Waddle enters the year as the top option through the air for a dangerous Broncos team.
  • DEN Wide Receiver #17
    Parsing injury language is always tricky, but when Payton said Waddle was experiencing muscle tightness, a strain made sense. The tissue was reacting to something. Waddle did not practice on Thursday and was seen limping while wearing a sleeve on his left leg. The fact that the team thinks he can return in just under a week from yesterday’s injury is good to hear. Week 1 is still a month away, so we like his odds of suiting up. The injury might end up costing him preseason game reps, though. We expect the team to be cautious with their star wide receiver.
  • DEN Wide Receiver #17
    We had hoped to see Waddle get in a limited session today, after coach Sean Payton downplayed Waddle’s injury on Wednesday. Evidently, he needed at least one day off. The Broncos practiced in pads for three days straight before going padless today. If Waddle has to miss a session, we suppose a padless walkthrough day is the ideal one to miss. Hopefully, we see him back in action in some capacity before long.
  • DEN Wide Receiver #17
    Waddle left practice early and did not return. Given his lengthy injury history, the news gave fantasy managers a few hours of anxiety before Payton downplayed the issue. Waddle may get a few days of limited practice, but fantasy managers can keep drafting him as a high-ceiling WR2.

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    Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett (hip) was a full practice participant on Wednesday.

    Brissett seemingly dealt with an injury in the Cardinals’ Week 2 loss against the Seahawks, but played through it. He opens the week listed with a hip injury but was a full practice participant. Though Brissett seems to have a hip issue ailing him, it does not seem like it will keep him from playing. The veteran remains in the low-end QB2 conversation for Week 3 against the 49ers.
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    49ers WR Demarcus Robinson (ankle) did not participate in Wednesday’s practice.

    Robinson suffered an ankle injury in the 49ers’ Week 2 win over the Dolphins. The initial diagnosis was that the veteran would miss some time and his DNP designation Wednesday indicates just that. With Mike Evans (hip) also not practicing, the 49ers’ receiving corps is getting thinner than it already was.
  • SEA Wide Receiver #10
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    Seahawks WR Cooper Kupp (back) was limited in Wednesday’s practice.

    Kupp also opened last week with a limited practice due to the back injury before getting in two full practices and playing in Week 2. His limited designation Wednesday is likely a continuation of veteran workload management for his back; fantasy managers should not be surprised to see the 33-year-old limited on Wednesdays this season.
  • WAS Running Back #31
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    Commanders RB Kaytron Allen (hip) was limited in Wednesday’s practice.

    Allen popped up on the injury report as a limited participant due to a hip injury. The rookie has seen limited touches as the Commanders’ third-string back and is still buried in the depth chart. Also limited was WR Jaylin Lane (groin). Lane is likely to play as he played through the injury in Week 2. Allen’s status is up in the air; practice reports from later in the week will paint a clearer picture.
  • WAS Tight End #85
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    Commanders TE Chig Okonkwo (hamstring) did not participate in Wednesday’s practice.

    Okonkwo did not play in Week 2 due to a hamstring injury and now opens this week not practicing. The 27-year-old suffered the injury in Week 1 and has yet to return to practice since then. The Commanders’ tight end depth chart is thin and neither John Bates or Ben Sinnott are worth rostering with Jayden Daniels out.
  • WAS Defensive Tackle #99
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    Commanders DT Javon Kinlaw (back/shoulder) did not participate in Wednesday’s practice.

    Kinlaw dealt with a back injury last week but played in Week 2. He came out of the loss against the Cowboys with an additional injury to the shoulder. Kinlaw’s status for Week 3 is in question as he sits out of practice with back and shoulder issues.
  • SEA Running Back #8
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    Seahawks RB Jadarian Price (chest) was limited in Wednesday’s practice.

    Price entered Wednesday expected to practice and officially received a limited designation due to a chest injury he suffered in Week 2. Also limited was George Holani (knee). With both backs starting out limited, their Week 3 statuses are up in the air. If one or both can’t go, Emanuel Wilson is the primary beneficiary for fantasy purposes against the Commanders.
  • SEA Quarterback #14
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    Seahawks QB Sam Darnold (glute) was limited in Wednesday’s practice.

    Darnold was officially listed as a limited practice participant on Wednesday, returning to practice for the first time since his opening day injury. He split first-team reps with Drew Lock and did some throwing off to the side. The Seahawks will make a decision Friday on Darnold’s game status for Week 3 but the 29-year-old has an outside chance of returning against the Commanders.
  • BUF Defensive Lineman #91
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    Bills DT Ed Oliver (hip) did not participate in Wednesday’s practice.

    Oliver suffered a hip injury during warmups of the Bills’ Week 2 win over the Lions. He did not play in the game and now starts out Week 3 not practice. Oliver could certainly still go this week against the Chargers but he will likely need at least a limited practice to be in consideration to play.
  • BUF Wide Receiver #0
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    Bills WR Keon Coleman (ankle) did not participate in Wednesday’s practice.

    Coleman pops up on the injury report with an ankle injury and did not practice on Wednesday. He briefly left the Bills’ Week 2 game against the Lions due to the ankle, but returned and finished the game. Coleman’s status for Week 3 is now in jeopardy; with DJ Moore (shoulder) also on the injury report, the Bills’ wide receiver groups may look slim come Sunday against the Chargers.