In a 2022 season that some might call a dumpster fire in the Mile High City, Jerry Jeudy was one of the Denver Broncos’ only bright spots. An offense riding high going into the season, ready to strut their new QB Russell Wilson and several shiny new toys, they ended the year a paltry 5-12. Several injured players scattered across Broncos country, including Jeudy at some points. How do Jeudy’s injuries affect his fantasy football potential in 2023?
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What Happened to Jerry Jeudy?
A former Biletnikoff winner from Alabama, Jeudy was drafted with the 15th pick by the Denver Broncos in 2020. He didn’t instill considerable confidence during his rookie season, finishing with 856 yards receiving and three TDs.
JERRY JEUDY.
48 yards for his first career TD! #BroncosCountry @jerryjeudy
📺: #DENvsNYJ on @NFLNetwork
📱: NFL App // Yahoo Sports App: https://t.co/jQ6nvOCVqi pic.twitter.com/vSiY5E4VCf— NFL (@NFL) October 2, 2020
It was the balls Jeudy didn’t catch that were the most noticeable. He had 12 drops on the season, second-most of all WRs with at least 30 targets.
During the first week of the 2021 season, Jeudy suffered a high ankle sprain and was placed on IR. He only played in 10 games that year, finishing with just shy of 500 receiving yards. In 2022, with the arrival of QB Russell Wilson, hopes were high, and Jeudy’s frustration with the season’s status was palpable on the field. He was even fined for unsportsmanlike conduct in Week 14.
He missed two weeks in 2022 with an ankle injury near the end of the year and still managed to finish as WR21 with a horrible offense. Jeudy had seven weeks with fantasy finishes in the top 15 but four weeks where he finished outside the top 50.
In late August, Jeudy suffered a hamstring injury at practice and was visibly upset, consoled by teammates, as he was carted off the field. The Broncos feared the worst. However, on August 29, Broncos GM George Paton clarified that Jeudy will not start the season on the PUP. Still questionable for Week 1, he will be closely monitored.
Bad news: #Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy was helped off the field after suffering an injury, h/t @AllbrightNFL pic.twitter.com/rPGuSksMA0
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 24, 2023
What Can Denver Do If Jeudy Misses Time?
The Broncos are getting used to batting cleanup after injuries in 2023 — WR Tim Patrick tore his Achilles in the preseason. He will miss the entire year, giving Denver even fewer options if Jeudy were to miss time.
The cupboards are bare, with Courtland Sutton slated as the WR1 without Jeudy and rookie Marvin Mims there to back him up. Sutton had a rough 2022 with career lows in yards per reception at 13 and only two TDs.
MORE: 2023 Dynasty WR Rankings
Mims is an excellent prospect drafted out of Oklahoma, who had over 1,000 yards in his final year and an average yards per reception of 20.1. He could be a home run hitter if given the opportunity.
TE Greg Dulcich could also see an uptick in targets without Jeudy. He has sparks of fantasy viability in 2022 with six finishes in the top 12, averaging 5.5 targets over the season. This could increase if Denver lost Jeudy’s 2022 average of 6.7 targets.
What Does This Mean for Jeudy’s Fantasy Ranking?
Another hamstring injury is a genuine concern for Jerry Jeudy — over 15% of the time, a player who recovered from a hamstring injury will go down again — just like we recently saw with Cooper Kupp. This leads to some caution when looking at Jeudy for your fantasy team. Jeudy currently sits at WR31 in our PFN Consensus Rankings.
The good news is you weren’t shooting for the moon with Jeudy even before the injury. The Russell Wilson-led offense in Denver has caused everyone to proceed with caution around his weapons, even with the addition of Sean Payton.
Seeing Kupp recently re-injure an ailment similar to Jeudy’s makes fantasy owners realize how quickly the tide can change regarding a setback. Moving Jeudy down a few spots in fantasy ranks, especially with the team he is on, is a solid move.