Jaylen

Waddle

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.