According to Adam Schefter, Broncos WR Pat Bryant will miss “a few weeks” with a sprained right ankle. Bryant was carted off in the third quarter of Sunday’s loss to the 49ers after catching 3 passes for 47 yards. Bryant has 9 receptions for 133 yards and 1 TD over the first four games of this season.
With Bryant sidelined, Denver’s remaining active WRs are Jaylen Waddle, Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin, and Marvin Mims. Fantasy managers will want to monitor Franklin and Mims as primary candidates to fill the void. Franklin is an intriguing speculative add given his history and chemistry with QB Bo Nix, and his career best 65 catches for 709 yards and 6 TDs last season. ~Jason Diaz
Denver Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant (ankle) was carted ...
Denver Broncos wideout Pat Bryant is coming off his best ...
Denver Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant is having a ...
Surprise! Marvin Mims has been an analytics darling since the day he entered the league, boasting an 18.5 (97th percentile) Breakout Age. His collegiate speed and route-running prowess has so far translated to the NFL field where he ranked No. 1 and No. 3 in target separation the last two seasons respectively. For Broncos fans and fantasy managers who have long clamored for more playing time, the latest depth chart release offers a glimmer of hope after he finished the 2025 season with a career high snap share of 38%.
Mims will begin the season ahead of former fourth round pick, Troy Franklin while rookie third round pick standout Pat Bryant will begin the season behind established veteran Courtland Sutton. Heading into week 1, Mims is currently valued as PlayerProfiler’s WR117 for dynasty leagues, although that valuation will certainly change if his role is real, and not more Sean Peyton coachspeak.
Despite Jaylen Waddle capping his ceiling, Pat Bryant—armed with a 44.0-percent College Dominator Rating (91st percentile)—is earning praise from Riley Moss while locking down Denver’s No. 3 wideout spot.
Bryant offers genuine late-round utility in 12-team leagues if he secures a consistent Target Share behind the starters. Target opportunity has further opened up with Marvin Mims and Nate Adkins leaving practice with soft-tissue injuries, stalling Mims’ depth-chart push.
With Jaylen Waddle commanding a 23.3-percent Target Share and Courtland Sutton locking down primary snaps, Denver’s peripheral wideouts face a steep usage climb. Mixing situational looks among Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant, and Marvin Mims dilutes individual opportunity unless offensive personnel rates shift heavily.
All signals point to Denver zigging (more 11 personnel) while the rest of the NFL zags (more 12 personnel). If the Broncos can elevate their 64-percent 11-personnel rate closer to 80-percent, it will unlock fantasy relevance for their third and fourth receivers. Franklin is a particularly good value in deep dynasty league formats.
Denver Broncos speedster Marvin Mims has publicly acknowledged this may be his final year in town after drawing comparisons to Rashid Shaheed, who recently parlayed a 32.2-percent Deep Target Share into a massive new contract extension. While an NFL agent estimates Mims is already worth up to $13 million annually based on his elite special teams profile, Sean Payton’s offensive staff has restricted him to a 38.0-percent Snap Share due to a lack of route-tree trust.
Unless Denver actively unlocks his downfield efficiency, Mims remains nothing more than a late-round best ball dart throw in 2026. Savvy dynasty leaguers should file this report away and consider adding Mims later this season in preparation for a 2027 change of scenery.
The Denver Broncos only scored one touchdown in their game Thursday night against the Las Vegas Raiders. In the second quarter Bo Nix connected with Troy Franklin for a seven yard touchdown.
Nix finished with 150 passing yards and two interceptions as well as the touchdown pass. Rookie wide receiver Pat Bryant led the team with 43 receiving yards on just one reception, JK Dobbins led the way on the ground with 77 rushing yards. Rookie running back RJ Harvey and wide receiver Courtland Sutton both had less than 25 scrimmage yards.
This was a disappointing performance for the Denver offense but Franklin seems to have established himself as their clear cut wide receiver two, Sutton and Dobbins remain quality fantasy assets and the rookies, Bryant and Harvey are still carving out their roles.
Author: David Leonard Jr. (@RealDelcoDave)
