Devaughn

Vele

This doesn’t necessarily mean that Vele is going to have a fantasy-worthy role, but with Rashid Shaheed in Seattle, Vele should at least see a majority of the snaps for a team that projects to throw a lot the rest of the season. He’s a worthwhile pickup in deeper leagues. Shallow- and mid-sized leagues can monitor him from the waiver wire and see what comes of his new role.

Cooks began his second tenure with the Saints operating as the team’s No. 3 wide receiver. He caught three passes for 26 yards, ranking fourth on the team in targets. Meanwhile, the newly acquired Devaughn Vele caught 1-of-2 passes for 13 yards. Neither Cooks nor Vele are going to be fantasy relevant heading into Week 2 against the 49ers.

Vele heads to the Saints after a productive rookie season with the Broncos in 2025. He was a 26-year-old rookie, posting 41 receptions for 475 yards and three touchdowns while primarily working out of the slot. An offseason knee procedure limited Vele in camp, while the emergence of second-year receiver Troy Franklin and rookie Pat Bryant made him more expendable. The Saints add Vele’s 6-foot-5 frame to a receiver room in need of reinforcement behind Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. Vele has some value as a late-round dart throw in fantasy drafts.

A core contributor on special teams for most of his career, Sherfield’s best offensive season as a pro came in 2022 when he caught 30 passes for 417 yards and two touchdowns with the Dolphins. The only other year in which he produced 100-plus receiving yards came in his 2018 rookie campaign. Head coach Sean Payton praised Sherfield for his field-stretching abilities and the work he’s done in camp as a run blocker. Given his career arc at this point, it’s hard to imagine there being a meaningful offensive role for Sherfield entering his eighth season. That said, the Broncos mixed and matched their receivers for much of last season, with Courtland Sutton and Devaughn Vele being the only two to surpass 315 routes run, per PFF. It wouldn’t be surprising if we looked back on this moment as nothing more than training camp buzz, but it’s something for fantasy managers to remember who may be eyeing secondary targets like Vele or Marvin Mims late in drafts.

Mims has yet to break out in the NFL, but the 23-year-old took a big step forward last season, registering 39 catches on 52 targets for 503 receiving yards with six touchdowns. He has made the Pro Bowl twice as a return man and only played 27 percent of the Broncos’ offensive snaps last season, so he will need to be given a larger role if he’s truly going to emerge in this offense. He led the team in catches of 40 yards or longer, so he can break a big play when given the chance, but he’ll need to beat out second-year receivers Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele — not to mention rookie Pat Bryant — if he’s going to see an uptick in snap share.

The Broncos’ mandatory minicamp has officially wrapped up, with no sign of Vele. Per Athlon Sports’ Douglas Santo, “Payton did say some players would not be attending minicamp for personal reasons.” Payton did not disclose the reason for Vele’s absence. Hopefully, this is not injury-related, and Vele is away somewhere, honing his craft. Santo adds, “reports from media who attended the Broncos’ OTAs were that Vele added muscle this offseason and his route running had been more pristine.”

Vele’s ill-timed doughnut was only his second of the entire season. A truly absurd 27 years old for a rookie, Vele had an exceptional inaugural campaign for a seventh-round pick, but it’s hard to believe there’s a whole more juice left to squeeze here. That being said, Vele’s 41/475/3 rookie slash commands that you at least keep him around in Dynasty leagues. 2025 is a contract year for fellow boundary wideout Courtland Sutton, while Vele outproduced fellow rookie Troy Franklin.

Vele continued his volatile ways against the Chiefs thanks to a heads-up play in the end zone. Bo Nix fired a tough pass to a fellow Broncos pass catcher who was unable to secure it in the back of the end zone. Fortunately for Vele, two Chiefs defenders took turns bobbling the ball until Vele could swoop in to secure it. The 27-year-old rookie will again be a low-floor flex option with a moderately high ceiling against the Bills next week.

Vele was the only starting Denver wide receiver to fail to return a usable fantasy score in championship week as Courtland Sutton went 5-55-1 and Marvin Mim erupted for 8-103-2. Either way, it appears Vele will remain in the team’s plans into the future after earning more snaps through numerous bodies this season. Perhaps Vele can return better counting stats after it matters in fantasy leagues when the Broncos host the Chiefs in Week 18.

Vele snagged a six-yard touchdown from Bo Nix near the middle of the second quarter to give the Broncos a 21-10 lead. The Chargers dominated from that point on, and Vele wasn’t a factor for the rest of the contest. The 27-year-old rookie — still a weird thing to type — has been much more relevant than anticipated, but fantasy players should be able to find much better options than Vele in Week 17 against the Bengals.