Jaylen Waddle vs Lamar Jackson

“Sutton has increased target competition in Denver this season after the Broncos traded for Jaylen Waddle , but he has been a consistent TD threat with QB Bo Nix .”

“Jaylen Waddle (DEN) : ADP 42.5 | WR22 While the Miami Dolphins’ offense was inconsistent last season, Waddle ended the year as the WR24, averaging 12.1 PPR fantasy points per game. More importantly, the veteran didn’t need a massive target share to produce top-12 fantasy numbers.”

“Jaylen Waddle (WR – DEN) It seemed in 2025, when Tyreek Hill got injured, that Jaylen Waddle was primed for another massive season.”

“Jaylen Waddle , WR21 (Miami to Denver) It’s Jaylen Waddle SZN!”

“With the passing attack expected to condense around just two clear focal points this year, Waddle projects as the offense’s unquestioned wide receiver one.”

“Jaylen Waddle could vastly outproduce his fantasy football ADP. Currently going as the WR23, Waddle has true top-12 upside. After joining the Broncos this offseason, Waddle finds himself alongside an aging Courtland Sutton and a plethora of solid young talent.”

“With Courtland Sutton turning 31 this October and seeing a major drop in efficiency in 2025, it appears Waddle is set up perfectly to be the No. 1 wide receiver in Denver for the next several years. Waddle is valued as the WR20 in ECR, which feels like the floor outcome in PPR leagues.”

“After posting back-to-back 15+ PPR point-per-game seasons to start his NFL career, Waddle seemed destined to usurp Tyreek Hill as the Dolphins' top target earner and establish himself as a top-five fantasy wide receiver overall. Unfortunately, that time never came, as Waddle continued to play second fiddle in Miami.”

“Jaylen Waddle is a favorite draft target in the fifth round based on ADP.”

“The Broncos parted with their first-round pick in the Jaylen Waddle trade.”

“Joining a pass-heavy offense is precisely what Waddle needs to blossom into a fantasy football WR1 in 2026.”

“Jaylen Waddle will receive a sizable environmental upgrade in 2026. The Broncos freed him from the rebuilding Dolphins via a trade, and Waddle will step in as Denver's No. 1 wide receiver alongside a nifty, big-bodied complement in the form of No. 2 wide receiver Courtland Sutton.”

“Injuries and a steep decline in rushing production cratered Lamar Jackson ‘s fantasy value in 2025. After finishing QB1 in fantasy scoring in 2024, Jackson plummeted to a QB20 fantasy finish last season and was QB16 in fantasy points per game at the position. Jackson lost three games to an early-season hamstring injury and one game to a late-season back injury.”

“Lamar Jackson cratered many fantasy rosters in 2025. Before an early October hamstring injury, he was on pace for 3,700 passing yards, 437 rushing yards, and 47 total TDs.”

“The most obvious thing to consider is your positional strengths and weaknesses — trading for Lamar Jackson when you already have Josh Allen probably isn’t a good idea.”

“If you want an elite QB, pocket your picks for a round and a half and take Lamar Jackson, instead.”

“There isn’t a single drafted player on the Ravens that goes higher than I would take them, with Lamar Jackson standing out as the single best 1QB value I have ever seen if you want to get a top-two quarterback, going at pick 46, 19 picks past QB1, Josh Allen.”

“With plenty of time to recover from last season, Jackson is a ticking time bomb for fantasy production.”

“Things did not go well for Lamar Jackson in 2025, but he still displayed his ceiling early on before injuries started to stack up.”

“For what it’s worth, Lamar did speak highly of Doyle’s offense this spring, saying: “ It’s a different system than what I’m accustomed to being in, and I feel like there’s going to be a lot of explosiveness this year.”

“The case for Lamar staying near the top of the market: he’s not even 30 years old, he was still playing at an elite level in weeks one and two last season before his injury in week three derailed the rest of his year, and he has never failed to have an MVP-caliber first season under a new play caller, which is exactly the situation he’s in again this year.”

“Jackson's 2025 performance was marred by injury and a subpar level of play (by his standards). Therefore, while he has tremendous leverage by virtue of the restructure and the $84.34MM cap number it created for 2027, he may want to come to the negotiating table on the heels of a better season.”

“Todd Monken, reflecting on where things went wrong in Baltimore last season, feels that he didn't get the most out of Lamar Jackson. "I didn't coach well enough," Monken said. "I didn't get Lamar to play at his best when the best was needed."”

“Jackson mentioned that Doyle is running a completely different system from what Todd Monken deployed last season, while there are some concepts from what Greg Roman ran in 2022. Jackson expects more "explosiveness" this season, and Doyle is proving to be a very creative playcaller. "I feel like there's going to be a lot of explosiveness this year," Jackson said. "The way Declan calls plays and his creativity with his mind — how detailed he is — it's mind-blowing. I'm excited."”