Denver Broncos WR Jaylen Waddle suffered a chest injury in Week 7 against the Arizona Cardinals. As the Broncos head into Week 8, is the star WR in danger of missing any time?
The Broncos will host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, November 1 at 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS. What’s Waddle’s outlook for suiting up in that contest?
Below, we’ll analyze the latest Jaylen Waddle injury update, his latest practice status, and how his injury impacts fantasy football and Chiefs vs. Broncos picks for PrizePicks.
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Jaylen Waddle Injury Update: Will Waddle Play This Week vs. Chiefs?
Waddle left Sunday’s game late in the fourth quarter and went right to the medical tent. The Broncos WR tried to take a handoff on a reverse, but the handoff was botched. Waddle dove on the loose ball but was favoring his left shoulder and chest after the play.
Waddle was listed as questionable to return after suffering the injury. He eventually made his way to the locker room after being examined in the tent.
Leading up to Sunday’s game, the Waddle was limited in two of the team’s practices due to a chest injury.
Upcoming practices on Thursday and Friday's practices should provide more insight into Waddle’s prognosis for Week 8. If Waddle can’t suit up against a top divisional rival, how does that affect fantasy football and Broncos picks for PrizePicks?
Broncos Fantasy Football Outlook If Jaylen Waddle Is Out
The Broncos made a huge offseason splash when they acquired Waddle in a trade with the Miami Dolphins. Denver needed a top wideout to pair with WR Courtland Sutton and give QB Bo Nix more weapons.
In fantasy football, Waddle was a wideout with tremendous upside but didn’t need to be selected in the first couple of rounds in most drafts. According to FantasyPros, Waddle carried a WR18 average draft position (ADP) this past summer and was selected early in the fourth round of most PPR drafts.
In seven games, Waddle has led the Broncos in receptions (26) and receiving yards (276) while also hauling in a TD. The former Alabama standout had his best performance in Week 2, catching 8 passes for 138 yards.
However, Waddle has caught 18 passes for 138 yards and a TD in the other six contests. He recorded 4 catches for 48 yards on Sunday before being forced out of the game.
Waddle has garnered a 22.5% target share on the year, which ranks 28th among all NFL WRs, per PlayerProfiler. Additionally, his average depth of target is just 8.9 yards, ranking 42nd.
If Waddle does miss Week 8, the Broncos could attempt to get Sutton more involved. Sutton has caught 16 passes for 168 yards and a TD in seven games but has only recorded 40+ receiving yards twice.
Week 8 could be a very difficult matchup against a Chiefs defense that allows 220.9 passing YPG (17th). Kansas City has surrendered 17.2 PPG (second) and -0.046 EPA/play (fifth), per RBSDM.
The Broncos haven’t been the most dangerous offense, owning a -0.004 dropback EPA/play mark (23rd) and a 38.7% dropback success rate (29th). Waddle's been held to under 50 receiving yards in all but one game.
If Waddle can play this weekend, the veteran WR may face an uphill battle against a strong Chiefs defense anyway.
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Jaylen Waddle left Sunday’s game against the Cardinals due to a chest injury. If Waddle returns in Week 8, the Chiefs present a significant challenge for an offense that's struggled to move the ball downfield.
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