Jaylen Waddle
vs David Montgomery

“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.”

“Through three games, David Montgomery is averaging a whopping 2.7 YPA. He’s seeing about 52% of the touches, nowhere near the workhorse numbers everyone projected in the offseason. Woody Marks looks like the more explosive back of the two, though his numbers aren’t much better.”

“Montgomery has a 4.5% explosive run rate, 1.54 yards after contact per attempt, and a 12% missed tackle rate. If Houston can play with a lead, Montgomery could have a bounceback game this week against Indy’s putrid run defense. Indy has allowed the third-highest explosive run rate, the sixth-highest rushing success rate, the seventh-most yards before contact per attempt, and the fourth-highest missed tackle rate.”

“We have not seen much usage from Woody Marks yet, but David Montgomery should feast and may leave Marks (RB36) with some decent scraps. Blake Corum , RB, Los Angeles Rams The back half of 2025 saw Corum have an increase in workload with significant touches leading into the playoffs. Corum appears to be maintaining a similar workload and is due for a trip to the endzone.”

“On the bright side, Montgomery does still have all four of the Texans’ carries inside the 10-yard line. But goal-line work alone is a recipe for an inconsistent FLEX play, not a viable RB2. The whole thesis behind Montgomery this season was his workhorse volume, and it hasn’t been there through two weeks (he’s also been fairly inefficient, for what it’s worth).”

“David Montgomery will likely operate as the team’s workhorse.”

“David Montgomery (RB – HOU) I’m not buying the offseason narratives that the Texans backfield will be a 50/50 split. David Montgomery will likely operate as the team’s workhorse.”

“Longshot Bet: David Montgomery to Lead the NFL in Rushing Yards (+8000) David Montgomery has bell-cow history.”

“David Montgomery (HOU) At his cost in the middle rounds, Montgomery has the potential to win your league.”

“For all those reasons, David Montgomery is a player I am not leaving any drafts with, especially because this potential top-12 running back can be drafted.” – Adam Dove ( The Fantasy Couriers ) Travis Etienne Jr.”

“Montgomery has played seven seasons in the NFL and has had 201 carries or more in five of them. He fell under that number in the last two seasons (185 in 2024 and 158 in 2025), but that was mostly due to how utterly unstoppable Jahmyr Gibbs is.”