2026 Team Previews: Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos 2026 Preview
All ADP data is courtesy of Fantasy Pros.
** = target in drafts at this ADP
Drafted Everywhere
**Jaylen Waddle, WR (ADP: 49, WR23): Waddle has been a perennially underrated WR for the Dolphins, operating in the shadow of Tyreek Hill, and often making the most of the more difficult role in Mike McDaniel’s high-octane offense. As gifted as Waddle is, Hill has always been the faster and more explosive player, and therefore was treated as the lead dog with more designed touches in space. Whenever Waddle has been given that job due to Hill’s absence he’s thrived, and year over year Waddle has still delivered big numbers while playing the game of football on Hall of Fame difficulty. Now, he’s moving on from Miami, and he should be the top target in Sean Payton’s offense with one of the NFL’s most accurate passers at the helm.
We know that Waddle’s numbers have dipped the past two seasons from his first three. Miami’s offense was cooking with gas when he entered the league, and things got tougher over the past two. Guess what. You can lay most of the blame at the feet of myriad injuries to Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa, because Waddle has still been an elite player. Waddle’s route success rates are deep green on all the big boy stuff; we’re talking 57.9% on nines, 89.5% on posts, 83.9% on digs and 77.1% on outs. He rocked an 86.8% on slants too, while finishing in the 77th percentile vs. man, 74th vs. zone and 81st vs. press. Waddle might not quite be on the Justin Jeffers/Puka Nacua level of WR1s, and injuries do tend to dog him at times, but he’s closer to that Tier 1 than he is the low-end WR2 tier where he’s being drafted. When this trade happened, I noted that if Waddle was around his ADP of last season – No. 73 overall, WR32 -- that he’d be a massive value. He’s not there, so the world is aware that Waddle played better than his production suggests. Still, he’s a good value at this ADP.
Courtland Sutton, WR (ADP: 87, WR36): Sutton has been the Broncos’ WR1 for quite a while, and he’s performed well in that role even if he’s a bit miscast for it. As an X receiver exclusive he’s consistently delivered 1,000 yards and seven or eight touchdowns for the last two years. Prior to that he caught just 59 passes for 772 yards, but turned in 10 touchdowns. Sutton finds ways to be productive and matter for his managers, and this year won’t be any different. Sutton’s volume will change with the arrival of Waddle, but Sutton proved in 2023 that he can thrive on efficiency and with end zone trips. I think this ADP is appropriate, and I envision him providing even more splash plays with defenses having to focus their attention on Waddle.
RJ Harvey, RB (ADP: 83, RB29): Harvey was a pretty big letdown as a rookie. He got drafted and immediately gassed up due to a wide open depth chart, only for the Broncos to eventually add J.K. Dobbins and pour cold water on Harvey’s big volume dreams. Harvey’s small stature makes him a poor fit for heavy work in between the tackles, and he was a capable pass-catcher, but lagged behind his fellow RBs as a pass protector. There’s no question about Harvey’s explosive play potential, but when he wasn’t delivering those home runs, he was striking out. Dobbins was a far more reliable option play to play in 2025, and this RB room is unchanged heading into his year. If not much has changed, it doesn’t make sense that Harvey would be drafted ahead of Dobbins.
**J.K. Dobbins, RB (ADP: 97, RB35): Dobbins is a stud. Yeah, he’s always hurt and that’s why his ADP is here and not much higher, but when he’s on the field he just rocks. Dobbins is regularly chewing up five yards per carry, and his 77.6 rushing yards per game was sixth in the NFL behind James Cook, Derrick Henry, Jonathan Taylor, Bijan Robinson and De’Von Achane. Pretty good right? Will you constantly be holding your breath waiting for an injury to hit? You will, but while you have Dobbins he’s going to be delivering RB1/RB2 numbers and he’ll probably be YOUR RB2. We got 10 games out of Dobbins in 2025, and got 14+ carries and 60+ rushing yards from him in nine of them.
Interesting Players
**Bo Nix, QB (ADP: 107, QB15): I was down on Nix last season when he was being drafted at No. 77 overall and as the QB8. After two years, we now have a clear picture of who Nix truly is as a QB, and while I don’t look at him as a potential breakout superstar, I do appreciate the metronomic consistency he offers. We drafted him as the QB8 coming off his rookie year, and he proceeded to have a very similar season and is now the QB15? That doesn’t make a lot of sense, and he’s now become a value strictly because there are shinier new objects getting people’s attention. Nix has thrown for 3,700+ yards and 25+ touchdowns in back to back seasons, numbers that approach the benchmarks needed for a pass-first QB to compete with the dual threats. But Nix isn’t just a passer; he’s rushed for nine touchdowns in two seasons and he tied for the fifth-most rushing attempts among QBs with Jaxson Dart.
Nix won’t be the most enthralling watch of your life, with checkdowns, screens, flats and other rinky dinky throws making up a huge part of his elevated completion rate but those kinds of passes are critical to him consistently moving the chains and keeping the yardage piling up. And while he plays a safe brand of football for the most part, he does unleash the go route semi-regularly, and now has two legit deep threats to target on those bombs. I was very out on Nix last year at ADP because I didn’t see a Top 5 finish in the cards for him. I’m very in on him this year, because I knew who he was then, and I know who he is now. And he’s better for fantasy than the QB15.
Jonah Coleman, RB (ADP: 155, RB49): Coleman has been a big time TD scorer in his final two collegiate seasons, racking up 27 scores in his junior and senior seasons. His best college season was actually his junior year with the Washington Huskies, which was the only time he had eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark. This ADP is plenty far down enough to be worth the risk, but a look at his situation behind Dobbins and Harvey is an eye of the beholder scenario. Some might see it as an injury-prone vet, and a one-dimensional second-year player begging to be beat out. I see it as a very productive Dobbins, and a high-draft capital second year man who will likely be given more chances to succeed before they give up on him. Coleman seems like a solid back, but nothing so special that he just can’t be kept off the field right out of the gate. It’s a fine gamble, but I’ll be looking elsewhere.
Deep Cuts
Evan Engram, TE (ADP: 220, TE34): The case for Engram has been as a volume hog following a 2023 campaign in Jacksonville where he earned 143 targets. That’s proven to be a fluke season in an offense that was dreadfully broken. In two seasons in Denver, Engram has failed to top 50 targets, reach 500 yards or score more than one touchdown. He’ll turn 32 during this season, and just doesn’t have the ceiling to be draftable. You’ll probably be able to play Engram in super soft matchups, but otherwise he can be ignored.
Troy Franklin, WR (ADP: 223, WR86): Franklin’s numbers were nothing special in 2025, but he made a big leap from a poor rookie season, stepped up at times and resembled the Broncos’ WR1 when needed, and finished with a very respectable 65 catches, 709 yards and six scores. With Waddle and Sutton in the picture, the path to fantasy relevance is bleak. Ultimately, the Broncos understood Sutton’s limitations as a lead receiver, saw Franklin’s work and decided they needed a bigger name to do this job. With that said, Waddle’s never been a picture of health, and if Waddle went down, I do think Franklin becomes a playable FLEX option. He’s just a better player than most realize, and I won’t be shocked if he has some moments in 2026.
Pat Bryant, WR (ADP: 236, WR93): Bryant is another name who will be in the battle royale for Denver’s No. 3 WR job. He was a third round pick last season and showed promise, but overall finished with 31 receptions, 378 yards and one touchdown. That isn’t cutting it, and while most expected him to zoom past Franklin on the depth chart, that didn’t happen. I’d rather roster Franklin if given the choice, but the major players on Denver are obvious, and Bryant isn’t one of them.
Marvin Mims Jr., WR (ADP: 291, WR119): Mims is an extremely limited player. His six-touchdown sophomore season bought him some long term real estate in the backs of our minds, but the truth is he’s a super fast, very twitchy athlete who does not have the craftsmanship necessary to be a fantasy relevant guy with any consistency. He could eventually be a surprising late bloomer perhaps, but I’m not paying much attention in big 2026.