The Broncos played their preseason opener Friday night without WR Jaylen Waddle (calf strain) and WR Marvin Mims, who left Friday's practice with an apparent injury. So we didn't get a full look at the WR depth chart. But we did see Courtland Sutton and Pat Bryant appear to operate as the top two. Bryant running ahead of Troy Franklin is what matters here.
Breakdown Reveals More Than Raw Numbers
Franklin actually played more snaps (17) and ran more routes (eight) than either Sutton (13 and five) or Bryant (10 and 5) against the Falcons. But it's important to dig further for context, especially when you consider that QB Bo Nix didn't play at all and that "starting" QB Jarrett Stidham played beyond true first-team duties (25 snaps).
According to Pro Football Focus' numbers:
- Sutton, Bryant, and Franklin all played together in the team's five snaps in "11" personnel (one RB, one TE, three WRs) across the first two drives.
- Sutton and Bryant stayed on the field in "12" personnel (one RB, two TEs, two WRs).
- Bryant and Franklin split opportunities opposite Sutton in "21" personnel (two RBs, one TE, two WRs).
- Bryant saw more slot duty than Franklin.
That last part might be the most important signal.
Bryant ran just 13.8% of his pass snaps from the slot last season, according to PFF. Franklin, meanwhile, saw his slot share jump from just 10.4% in 2024 to 44.2% in his second year.
Sutton plays almost exclusively outside (84.8% career). Waddle ran less than 30% of his routes from the slot each of the past four years. So the No. 3 WR for these Broncos will need to spend plenty of time in the slot.
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: Consider Stashing Bryant
The Broncos ran three WRs at the league's 10th-highest rate last year, and then they traded a first-round pick for Waddle. Combine that with Bryant -- a third-round rookie last year -- entering just his second season, and we should assume Denver likes its WR group better in 2026.
Combine that with an unexciting TE group, and the Broncos look likely to rank highly once again in three-WR usage.
That alone won't be enough to make Bryant truly fantasy-relevant. But it obviously helps his case as a late-round flier for best ball formats and deeper leagues. And hitting the season as Denver's No. 3 guy would give him contingent upside in the event of injuries to Waddle, Sutton, and even expected lead TE Evan Engram.
Keep Bryant in mind as a late-round option, especially because Waddle's already dealing with a calf issue.
Dynasty Impact: Franklin's Window Closing
Franklin had chances over the past two years. That included ranking second on the team with 104 targets in his age-22 campaign. But it's an undeniably bad signal that Denver's decreasing his role in Year 3.
Does that mean you should outright dump Franklin anywhere you have him in dynasty? Not necessarily. There's always a chance the Broncos trade him to a WR-needy team.
But I wouldn't hold out much hope that Franklin will deliver meaningful fantasy returns going forward.
