Russell Wilson Injury Updates | Shark Bites

Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports that Broncos QB Russell Wilson expects to be cut in March. Wilson has reportedly known for nearly two months that Denver planned to move on after the season. The team reportedly told him a benching would come at some point if he refused to defer the injury guarantee that's been reported as a key to Wilson's benching. Clearly he refused. Wilson has played better than last year. And at 35, he's likely to find another home. Will he get another starting gig? We'll see. The Broncos, meanwhile, have no long-term answer. (It's not Jarrett Stidham.) They currently hold the 14th overall pick in Round 1, then no Round 2 selection.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Broncos will be benching QB Russell Wilson in favor of Jarrett Stidham for the season's final two games. You might remember Stidham playing the same role last year for the Raiders, who benched Derek Carr. And the reasoning on Wilson looks the same. Wilson is already guaranteed $39 million for 2024, but another $37 million would become guaranteed if Wilson can't pass a physical in March. So the Broncos don't appear to be done with Wilson like the Raiders were with Carr. Rather, they're trying to maintain some "financial flexibility," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Even if they'd like to trade Wilson, his contract basically prevents such a move. According to Spotrac, Denver would absorb $85 million in dead cap by unloading Wilson. So expect him to be the 2024 starter. As for the final two weeks of this year, Stidham will likely present a passing downgrade. WR Courtland Sutton has been just about the only usable piece for most fantasy football leagues lately, though. His injury leaves Jerry Jeudy as the expected Week 17 target leader. You'll find him low in WR3 territory in our Week 17 rankings.

Broncos QB Russell Wilson played OK in his first game under new HC Sean Payton. He was efficient but conservative, completing 79.4% of his passes at only 5.2 yards per attempt. He didn't turn it over and tossed TDs to WRs Courtland Sutton and Lil'Jordan Humphrey. Wilson spread the ball around to 10 different pass-catchers, with none of them catching more than five balls. He was playing without WR Jerry Jeudy and lost TE Greg Dulcich in-game to a leg injury. We'll see when those guys return, but don't expect to see Wilson close to the top 12 in our Week 2 Rankings in a matchup vs. the Commanders.

Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy missed two full games and most of three others with injuries last year. But in the other 12, he averaged 7.7 targets, 5.2 catches, 74.7 yards, and 0.5 TDs. His scoring averages in those games would have ranked 13th among WRs in PPR points and 14th in half-PPR. Jeudy also ranked seventh among 80 qualifying WRs in yards per target and 12th in yards per route. He's improved in both of those metrics across each of his first three NFL seasons. Still just 24, Jeudy should still be ascending. And he gets a significant coaching upgrade this season with HC Sean Payton replacing Nathaniel Hackett. If QB Russell Wilson can bounce back from an ugly 2022, Jeudy is primed for a true breakout season.

NFL Network's James Palmer had "multiple people" in the Broncos organization tell him that Tim Patrick is "the best football player in that WR room." That WR room also includes Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and second-round rookie Marvin Mims. QB Russell Wilson felt most comfortable throwing to Patrick last offseason, per Palmer. And the belief (hope?) is that Patrick's August torn ACL played a big part in Wilson's ugly 2022 season. Patrick is on track to be ready for Week 1, which is good news for Wilson. But it's tough to see Patrick emerging as a reliable fantasy option barring an injury to Jeudy or Sutton. Patrick is at least worth considering near the end of best-ball drafts.

Free agent QB Jarrett Stidham and the Broncos have agreed to terms on a two-year contract worth $10 million. This deal includes $5 million in guaranteed money and locks Stidham into serving as QB Russell Wilson's backup. Stidham started two games with the Raiders at the conclusion of the 2022 NFL season, tallying 584 passing yards with 4 TDs and 3 INTs. He should carry some appeal as a depth option in superflex leagues should any injury occur to Wilson in what should be a much-improved offense under new HC Sean Payton. Not all backup QBs are worth spending too much time thinking about for fantasy purposes, but Stidham is fairly intriguing here if nothing else.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Broncos and Saints are "finalizing compensation" that would allow Sean Payton to become Denver's HC. The big potential winner here, fantasy wise, is QB Russell Wilson. He'll come off easily the worst performance of his career to work with the HC that helped Drew Brees become Drew Brees in New Orleans. Of course, Brees was just 27 in his 1st season with New Orleans, after the Chargers allowed his rookie contract to expire and Brees to hit the open market. Russell Wilson just completed his age-34 season. Plenty of surrounding talent should remain, with WRs Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy still under contract, TE Greg Dulcich entering Year 2, and WR Tim Patrick and RB Javonte returning from knee injuries. Among his 15 years as Saints HC, Payton had 13 consecutive offenses rank among the top 10 in total yards. His teams also finished top-10 in points 12 times.

Update: Schefter reports that Denver is sending its 2023 first-rounder and 2024 second-rounder to the Saints for the rights to Payton and New Orleans' 2024 third-rounder.

Before a concussion knocked him out of Sunday's loss to the Chiefs, Broncos QB Russell Wilson threw for 247 yards and 3 TDs. That marked the 1st time this year he had thrown more than 2 TD passes and just the 2nd time he had tallied more than 1. Wilson reached 20 fantasy points for just the 2nd time all year, adding 57 yards on the ground. We'll see how soon he can make it back from the concussion, but the injury and string of terrible fantasy outings before Sunday makes him tough to pay any attention to in 1-QB fantasy football formats.

Broncos TE Greg Dulcich led the team in targets (8), catches (6) and receiving yards (85) in Sunday's loss to the Ravens. He accounted for more than one-third of Denver's totals in each category, in a game that saw QB Russell Wilson go just 17-of-20 passing for 189 yards. WR Jerry Jeudy and RB Latavius Murray tied for 2nd in targets (4) and receptions (4). WR Courtland Sutton left early with a hamstring injury, drawing just 1 target before his departure.

Broncos QB Russell Wilson is off the Week 10 injury report. The hamstring injury that cost him Week 7 shouldn't be a problem moving forward. We'll see if Wilson and the Denver offense can get on track coming out of the bye.

Broncos QB Russell Wilson made it through his return from the hamstring injury in Sunday morning's victory over the Jaguars. He threw for 252 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT on 18-of-30 passing, adding 17 yards on the ground. Wilson targeted WR Jerry Jeudy most (7 times), connecting for a 6-63-1 receiving line. TE Greg Dulcich led the team with 87 receiving yards on 4 catches, finishing 2nd in targets (5). WR Courtland Sutton drew just 4 looks and caught only 1 for 13 yards. Denver likely welcomes a Week 9 bye and then gets 3 straight soft pass defenses: Titans, Raiders, Panthers.

Broncos QB Russell Wilson (hamstring) is not listed on the final Week 8 injury report. He practiced all week, including a full workout on Friday, and will start Sunday morning’s game vs. Jaguars in London. Wilson is only an option in 2-QB and Superflex leagues.

Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett said Friday morning that QB Russell Wilson (hamstring) will start Sunday's game vs. the Jaguars, barring a setback between now and then. Wilson, of course, had been struggling even before this hamstring injury. He's just a QB2 in Week 8 fantasy lineups, but we'd still consider him a tangible upgrade over QB Brett Rypien.

Broncos QB Russell Wilson (hamstring) remained limited in Thursday's practice. He's tentatively expected to play vs. the Jaguars on Sunday morning, but we'll see how he's listed on tomorrow's final injury report.

Broncos QB Russell Wilson (hamstring) said Wednesday that he's "feeling good" and "ready to rock." It sounds like he's planning on playing vs. the Jaguars on Sunday morning, we'll track his practice participation the rest of the week. Wilson, of course, was struggling even before this hamstring injury, so he's not a recommended Week 8 fantasy play.