Jaylen Waddle’s first game as a Bronco went about as badly as a debut can go without an injury attached to it. Three targets, one catch, two yards, and a finish behind Pat Bryant, Courtland Sutton, Evan Engram and RJ Harvey in the target order. Jacksonville comes to Denver this week with a defense that has been stingy where it counts, and managers who drafted Waddle as a weekly starter have a decision to make. Find out whether you should start or sit Jaylen Waddle in Week 2.
Jaylen Waddle Start or Sit Advice for Week 2
The opener was a problem on both ends. Waddle drew an 11.1 percent share of Denver’s 27 targets, fifth on the team, and generated two air yards on those three looks. The offense around him was worse: 28 pass attempts for 115 yards, a 69.2 passer rating from Bo Nix, four sacks allowed and 41 team air yards across the entire afternoon. That is not a passing game struggling to feed one receiver, it is a passing game that never got off the ground, and Waddle’s outlook always came with the caveat that Sean Payton likes to distribute the ball rather than funnel it to one target.
There is a version of this week that works, and it starts with attrition. Harvey has a hamstring injury, and Marvin Mims Jr. is also battling a foot problem. That clears two bodies from a crowded distribution, and Waddle remains the receiver in this room with the speed and separation ability to turn a normal target into a long gain. Jacksonville also missed 15 tackles in its opener while surrendering 12.8 yards per reception, which is the profile of a defense that gives up ground after the catch. YAC is where Waddle does damage, so the mechanism for a big afternoon exists.
The rest of the Jacksonville picture is discouraging. The Jaguars allowed only 205 receiving yards on 22 targets, recorded five sacks, held their opponent to one of eight on third down and turned away both red zone trips they faced. Denver converted just two of 12 third downs and one of two red zone chances of its own, so this is a matchup between an offense that could not sustain drives and a defense that specializes in ending them. Fewer possessions and fewer snaps inside the 20 is the wrong backdrop for a receiver already fighting for looks.
The Biggest Fantasy Risk for Jaylen Waddle in Week 2
The role has not materialized. Waddle was acquired on the belief he would headline this offense, and instead Bryant led the team with six targets while Engram and Sutton both drew five and scored the only touchdowns. His slim frame also means press coverage and physical corners can take him out of a game before the ball is snapped, and a Jacksonville pass rush that got home five times will keep Nix off schedule and shorten the throws he does attempt. One quiet game is not a verdict on a player with Waddle’s track record, but pairing that game with a defense playing this well means the odds of a repeat are real.
Fantasy Outlook for Jaylen Waddle in Week 2
Waddle is a Sit in Week 2. You cannot start him against a defense that just allowed barely 200 receiving yards, while his own offense threw for 115 and his target share sat fifth on the roster. Give it another week and watch whether Nix starts looking his way once the two of them build some rhythm.
Find our Week 2 fantasy WR rankings here!