Waddle boosts Bo Nix's ceiling as he could be viewed as a low-end QB1 in 2026 drafts
By Jamey Eisenberg Mar 17, 2026 at 8:12 pm ET • 4 min read 
Imagn Images The Broncos and Dolphins made a blockbuster trade Tuesday when Miami sent Jaylen Waddle to Denver in exchange for first- and third-round picks in the upcoming NFL Draft. The teams also swapped fourth-round picks.
The trade alters the Fantasy value for all the receivers on the Broncos and Dolphins, although Miami doesn't have much talent left for new quarterback Malik Willis. We'll get to that below.
Denver is the more intriguing part of the trade for sure. Waddle will now team up with Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant, Marvin Mims, and Evan Engram, but Waddle could easily be the No. 1 target for Bo Nix.
Waddle should be considered a low-end No. 2 Fantasy receiver and is worth drafting as early as Round 4. I would prefer to draft him in Round 5, and we'll see if he can recapture the level of production he showed in the first three seasons of his career with the Dolphins.
During that time from 2021-23, Waddle averaged at least 14.2 PPR points per game. His averages over that span were 84 catches, 1,128 yards, and six touchdowns on 120 targets.
The past two years, however, Waddle has struggled. He averaged just 9.9 PPR points per game in 2024 and 12.1 PPR points in 2025. His averages in those two seasons were 61 receptions, 827 yards, and four touchdowns on 92 targets.
So what changed for Waddle? He battled injuries in the past two seasons, although he only officially missed three games. Tua Tagovailoa also took a step back in the past two seasons, but Waddle had the benefit of Tyreek Hill only playing four games in 2025 due to a knee injury.
I'm hopeful that a healthy Waddle in a new offense will return to his early-career form. But there are still potential limitations in Denver.
With the Broncos, Waddle, 27, will have to prove he deserves more targets than Sutton, who has led Denver in targets in each of the past two seasons with Nix under center. Sutton had 135 targets in 2024, which was Nix's rookie campaign. And Sutton had 124 targets last season.
The problem for Waddle and Sutton could be not having enough targets for both to be high-end Fantasy options. In 2024, Javonte Williams was second on the Broncos in targets with 70. Troy Franklin was second on the team in targets in 2025 with 104.
Denver was fourth in the NFL in pass attempts in 2025 with 613, so Waddle's targets could come at the expense of Franklin, Engram (76), Mims (51), and Bryant (49), which makes sense. Sutton, 30, also could take a step back.
The earliest I would now draft Sutton -- who averaged 14.1 PPR points per game in 2025 with 74 catches, 1,017 yards, and seven touchdowns -- is Round 6. I expect Waddle to lead the Broncos in targets, but Sutton could still be a go-to option for Nix and retain solid Fantasy value.
As for the rest of the receivers in Denver, I would not draft any of them. Franklin, Bryant, or Mims could emerge as waiver-wire options, but they need to prove themselves first while playing behind Waddle and Sutton. And Engram is not worth drafting either.
Nix should be considered a low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback, and he's worth drafting with a late-round pick. In Superflex and two-quarterback leagues, Nix is worth a mid-round selection.
He averaged 22.6 Fantasy points per game in 2025 with 3,931 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, and he added 356 rushing yards and five touchdowns. And now he has a dynamic duo at receiver with Waddle and Sutton.
It should be fun to see how the Broncos use Waddle, and the Denver offense is headed in the right direction after this trade. Unfortunately, we can't say the same about Miami.
The Dolphins are now left with De'Von Achane and ... little else. The receiving corps prior to the NFL Draft features Malik Washington, Tutu Atwell, and Jalen Tolbert as the top receivers.
Miami can still add a free agent like Jauan Jennings or Stefon Diggs, but that doesn't seem likely. The Dolphins will probably address their receiving corps in the NFL Draft, and they now have two picks in the first round following this trade (No. 11 and No. 30 from Denver).
The only player for Miami who will definitely get drafted in Fantasy leagues is Achane -- unless the Dolphins trade him as well. He loses value with the Waddle trade because the offense should struggle to score points, but Achane is still worth drafting in Round 1.
And his reception total could increase with the lack of talent in the receiving corps. Achane had 67 catches for 488 yards and four touchdowns on 85 targets in 2025.
We'll see if any of the current receivers will be worth adding off the waiver wire, but losing Waddle is bad for Willis. He just signed as a free agent in Miami on a three-year, $67.5 million deal. While that's a great payday, Willis has limited talent around him to help his production.
We expect Willis to be among the better running quarterbacks in the NFL in 2026, and that's a boost to his Fantasy value. But losing Waddle won't help his passing stats, and I would only draft Willis with a late-round pick in all one-quarterback leagues.
