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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.
Speed Round: Pull the panic alarm on which team?
In a speed round, Maria Taylor, Devin McCourtney and Jason Garrett wonder if it's time to panic about the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans and the New York Jets.

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  • DEN Wide Receiver #17
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    Up by 14, Sean Payton dialed up a trick play for Waddle, giving him a pitch as Waddle came across the formation. Waddle bobbled the ball and was clobbered by Josh Sweat. He writhed in pain while holding his left shoulder. Trainers came onto the field and eventually walked him into the locker room. With less than four minutes on the clock at the time of his departure, we don’t expect to see him again today. Waddle’s day ends with four catches for 48 yards on seven targets.
  • DEN Wide Receiver #17
    Waddle upgraded to full on Friday after logging two limited sessions to begin the week. The Broncos’ No. 1 wide receiver has struggled to deliver usable stat lines with Bo Nix intent on checking down. The Cardinals’ pass defense could facilitate a bounce-back game for Waddle, but he remains a WR3/FLEX at this time.
  • DEN Wide Receiver #17
    The Broncos’ big-name offseason acquisition has totaled more than 35 yards just once all year, and now he has a chest injury. Waddle is on track to play, and he faces a beatable Cardinals pass defense this week, but he can only be treated as a FLEX starter at this time.
  • DEN Wide Receiver #17
    Waddle briefly exited the Broncos’ Week 6 win over the Seahawks before returning to the game. He now pops up on the practice report as a limited participant on Wednesday with a chest injury. Waddle is not in jeopardy of missing time just yet, but his poor fantasy production to start the season makes him a volatile fantasy option for Week 7 against the Cardinals.
  • DEN Wide Receiver #17
    Waddle departed in the third quarter and was deemed questionable to return with a shoulder injury but made his way back to the field in the fourth quarter, catching two additional passes in the final frame. He ended with four receptions for 24 yards on seven targets and has quickly become a difficult weekly start in fantasy circles. An enticing matchup against the Cardinals in Week 7 is sure to give fantasy managers a hint of potential, but if he fails again to return a usable fantasy week, it might be time to reconsider entering him in weekly lineups.
  • DEN Wide Receiver #17
    Waddle departed early in the third quarter and was quickly deemed questionable to return with a shoulder injury. It is unclear when the injury occurred. Waddle managed to catch just 2-of-5 targets for 15 yards prior to departing, keeping his usable weeks total at just two games through the first six weeks of the 2026 season. Fantasy managers that invested a fourth-round pick on the veteran wide receiver have got to begin to make alternate plans at wide receiver moving forward.
  • DEN Wide Receiver #17
    Give some credit to the Chargers’ defense, but this was an ugly game for both passing attacks. Waddle has his second dud in three weeks, and doesn’t appear to have great chemistry with Bo Nix thus far. No one really does, to be fair, as no receiver caught more than four passes for Denver. Waddle is a volatile WR2, and that volatility becomes more, well, volatile for Week 6 against the Seahawks.
  • DEN Wide Receiver #17
    Waddle was invisible for much of the game until a late red zone touchdown with the Broncos in up-tempo catch-up mode. It was his first touchdown reception as a Bronco. Waddle, who now has three down games in his first four contests as the Broncos’ nominal WR1, will probably struggle until Denver OC Davis Webb figures out how to maximize his personnel, including the struggling Bo Nix. Against the 49ers Waddle was targeted on a meager 16 percent of his routes. Hopefully that rate will rise in Week 5 against the Chargers.
  • DEN Wide Receiver #17
    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.
  • DEN Wide Receiver #17
    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.

Rotoworld

  • DET Tight End #87
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    Sam LaPorta caught 1-of-2 targets for 18 yards in the Lions’ Week 7 win over the Packers.

    While Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams combined for 244 yards and two touchdowns, LaPorta was an afterthought in the Lions’ offense on Sunday. LaPorta’s first target didn’t come until late in the fourth quarter, and his first catch came in the fourth quarter on an 18-yard play. It was an uncharacteristically underwhelming game by LaPorta, who entered the day coming off two-straight games in which he topped 80 yards and found the end zone. Despite the dud performance, LaPorta will be in the TE1 ranks next week at home against the Vikings.
  • BAL Tight End #89
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    Mark Andrews caught 3-of-4 targets for 23 yards in the Ravens’ Week 7 loss to the Bengals.

    It was business as usual for Andrews, who can be consistently relied on for a solid 20-yard game. Andrews has gone for 28 or fewer yards in five-straight games and will not be on the fantasy radar in Week 8 against the Bills.
  • BAL Wide Receiver #6
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    Ja’Kobi Lane caught 3-of-5 targets for 25 yards in the Ravens’ Week 7 loss to the Bengals.

    Lane had a relatively forgettable day through the air, but just missed finding the end zone on a short pass from Tyler Huntley in the second quarter. The rookie receiver ran 30 routes, which were second only to Zay Flowers, but he’s caught just seven passes for 65 scoreless yards in his two games since returning from injury. Lane’s involvement in the offense is encouraging, but there’s not enough here to warrant starting him in Week 8 against the Bills.
  • CIN Running Back #34
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    Samaje Perine rushed four times for 16 yards and a touchdown in the Bengals’ Week 7 win over the Ravens.

    Perine saw only four carries in this one, but he turned his lone goal-line touch into a one-yard touchdown to barely salvage what was still a relatively disappointing day. Perine was out-snapped by Chase Brown 38-12, with Brown also leading the way with 11 rush attempts. Perine will be hard to trust as anything more than a desperation RB4 play next week against the Titans.
  • CIN Tight End #88
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    Mike Gesicki caught his lone target for six yards and a touchdown in the Bengals’ Week 7 win over the Ravens.

    Gesicki’s lone target came on an end zone target from Joe Burrow that resulted in a six-yard touchdown. The 31-year-old tight end has now scored in all five games he has appeared in this season, but has managed just 10 yards on two receptions in his last two games. Fellow tight ends Erick All and Drew Sample combined to catch five passes for 45 yards and one touchdown on five targets. Gesicki has run 15 routes in each of his last two games and is purely a touchdown-dependent option in Week 8 against the Titans.
  • SEA Wide Receiver #22
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    Rashid Shaheed (knee) is questionable to return in Week 7 against the Chiefs.

    Shaheed was involved in a collision with teammate Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the end zone on an interception in the waning moments of the first half and did not retake the field out of the break. Tory Horton received the kickoff to begin the second half, after which Shaheed was deemed questionable to return with a knee injury. Expect Cooper Kupp and Horton to see a small bump in opportunity behind Smith-Njigba for the remainder of the game. Shaheed caught 2-of-3 targets for one yard prior to departing.
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    Colby Parkinson caught 5-of-6 targets for 48 yards in the Rams’ Week 7 win against the Raiders.

    Parkinson was in and out of the game with various injuries, picking up a new ailment on seemingly every reception. Parkinson logged 16 pass routes while Tyler Higbee led the team’s tight ends with 18 routes. Davis Allen, meanwhile, ran a route on 12 of the Rams’ drop backs and caught two touchdowns from Matthew Stafford. Parkinson should be a viable desperation option in deeper formats next week against the Chargers if the Rams keep using three tight end sets at a high rate. He has ten receptions over his past two outings.
  • LA Wide Receiver #12
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    Puka Nacua caught 8-of-10 targets for 68 yards and a touchdown in the Rams’ Week 7 win against the Raiders, adding two rushes for ten yards.

    Nacua, dealing with a calf injury, didn’t appear to be 100 percent but still got by just fine against a beatable Vegas secondary. He caught one of Matthew Stafford’s three touchdowns and led the Rams offense with ten targets. Nacua has a good chance of leading the NFL in targets for the remainder of the season with Davante Adams (hamstring) out indefinitely. His role in the LA offense makes Nacua one of the most dangerous fantasy options in the game. He gets the Chargers secondary in Week 8.
  • ARI Wide Receiver #86
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    Jalen Brooks caught 1-of-6 targets for 35 yards in the Cardinals’ Week 7 loss to the Broncos.

    Brooks’ only catch of the day saw him dragged down by the ankle at the one-yard line. Jacoby Brissett tried to get him going with a few deep shots, but the two failed to connect on all but one of their tries. In three games without Marvin Harrison Jr. in the lineup, Brooks has five catches for 81 scoreless yards. He is not on the fantasy radar for Week 8 versus Dallas.
  • LA Running Back #23
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    Kyren Williams had 16 rushes for 99 yards and a touchdown in the Rams’ Week 7 win against the Raiders, adding two catches for 22 yards.

    After complaining about the team’s backfield split last week, Williams was out-carried by Blake Corum, 17 to 16, with Corum scoring a touchdown and having two TDs called back on penalties. Though Williams lost a fumble in the second half, the Rams leaned on him late in the fourth quarter following a short-lived Vegas comeback. He ran 18 pass routes to eight routes for Corum — a season long trend that makes Williams less sensitive to game script than Corum. Williams will be a locked-in top-15 running back option next week against the Chargers.