Jaylen Waddle
vs Bucky Irving

“Jaylen Waddle was the prince who was promised to solve all of Denver’s offensive issues and to finally be the joker that Sean Payton craved for the Broncos. Unfortunately, over four games, he has as many weekly finishes below 5.5 half-PPR points as he does above 12.0. half-PPR points While it can be frustrating to see that kind of return from Waddle, it’s abundantly clear when you look at the film and the stats that this isn’t on him.”

“This year, we have JK Dobbins swearing to the old gods and new that he will play 17 games, and a rookie RB Jonah Coleman getting rave reviews in camp (ready to step in when Dobbins does inevitably get hurt); Jaylen Waddle is exactly what this team needs offensively , offering up YAC opportunities, strong route running in the short + intermediate part of the field, and a level of improvisation with Nix that Franklin + Mimms just weren’t able to offer.”

“Waddle should get a wonderful infusion of volume this season, moving from an offense that was 29th in neutral passing rate to one that was fourth in that metric last season.”

“Now the alpha receiver for the Broncos, Waddle will bring his electric route-running to an offense that thrives upon precision and isn’t afraid to sling it. Fantasy managers can look for a spike in Waddle’s yards per route run and target rate, as Courtland Sutton draws away defensive attention downfield.”

“Jaylen Waddle (WR – DEN) “ Jaylen Waddle is one of my favorite targets this year because I think people are looking too much at last season’s final numbers and not enough at how well he actually played. He ranked 12th in targets per route run, 12th in yards per route run, and seventh in first downs per route run, so the talent and efficiency are clearly still there.”

“4.11: Jaylen Waddle (WR – DEN) Jaylen Waddle is being overlooked as he enters his first year with the Broncos. Evan Silva of Establish The Run projects him to a huge year under Sean Payton, comparing him to Brandin Cooks during his time in New Orleans.”

“Adding Jaylen Waddle is not some small improvement.”

“The arrival of Jaylen Waddle will change that this year. Sutton still can be a highly productive player in a pass-happy offense, but he’ll take a backseat to Waddle.”

“Bucky Irving has been Tampa Bay’s clear RB1 to start the season, out-carrying Kenny Gainwell by 15 carries last week and running 10 more routes.”

“The results have been just OK, but Bucky Irving’s usage has been incredibly exciting so far this season. He has played 71% of Tampa Bay’s snaps, handled 78% of their running back carries and seen an 18% target share on a 57% route participation rate. Kenneth Gainwell is barely relevant, and Sean Tucker didn’t play a single snap in his season debut on Sunday.”

“Minnesota Vikings Bucky Irving has played well through two games, averaging 5.36 yards per carry. He’s got a little extra pep in his step, ranking eighth in explosive yards, 11th in yards after contact per attempt and 17th in missed tackles per attempt, according to the Fantasy Points Data Suite. The Vikings pose the stiffest test for Irving, as they have yet to allow a rushing touchdown and have allowed only 14.2 fantasy points per game to running backs.”

“Looking at the Buccaneers backfield, Bucky Irving was not usurped by any means by Kenneth Gainwell . In fact, Bucky saw 32% of Tampa Bay’s total rush attempts and targets on the day. Anything above 30% is an elite workload according to our “work” metrics on our site.”

“Bucky Irving finished the game with 35 snaps to 26 for Gainwell, but that wasn’t all; every other opportunity metric tilted towards Irving, including one surprising one. Bucky finished with 22 routes, seven targets, and eight carries, while Gainwell ran only thirteen routes and finished with one target and five carries. The routes are a huge development for Bucky Irving, because those routes were where Gainwell was supposed to make hay this season, and where he was supposed to take from Irving.”

“Bucky Irving has dealt with a number of injuries in his short career with a foot sprain and a shoulder/ AC joint sprain last year.”

“It was only one of two games where Rice failed to score double-digit fantasy points in 2025.” – Mike Fanelli ( FantasyPros ) Bucky Irving (RB – TB) “ Bucky Irving is a good player, but the opener on the road in Cincinnati seems daunting.”

“Bucky Irving had a sophomore season to forget.”