Can Troy Franklin or Pat Bryant Contribute for Fantasy Football on the Broncos?

Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos love to keep fantasy football managers guessing.

We know pretty much one thing to be true of this Bo Nix-led offense: Courtland Sutton is the leader. Sutton nearly doubled up all of his teammates in catches (81), targets (135), and receiving yards (1,081) thanks to a whopping 45.3% air yards share in 2024. Outside of him, all of Denver's receivers can be obtained outside the top 150 picks in fantasy football this season.

We've heard the case for Marvin Mims, as he's considered one of the best fantasy football late-round targets and best fantasy football value picks. Can the same be said for either of Troy Franklin or Pat Bryant?

Let's check out the outlooks for Franklin and Bryant and see if either can contribute in fantasy football this season.

Note: All ADPs come from FantasyPros' Consensus ADP for half-PPR leagues.

Troy Franklin 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook

The Broncos selected Franklin in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, pairing him with former Oregon teammate Bo Nix.

Nix and Franklin connected for 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns in their final season at Oregon, and that proven chemistry gave way to a slight touch of hype entering the 2024 season. Franklin ended up being relegated to a bench role for the majority of the year, totaling 263 yards and 2 touchdowns via 53 targets in his rookie campaign.

Franklin's biggest performance of the year came in the AFC Wild Card game when he caught a 43-yard touchdown pass in the opening drive -- Denver's first and only score in that one. He ran 43.9% of the routes from Week 9 and on, which was up from his 36.1% route rate through the first eight games.

Devaughn Vele and Lil'Jordan Humphrey are both with different clubs this season, meaning Franklin is second behind only Sutton in total routes run from 2024. That said, Mims is expected to enjoy a larger role this year after thriving in a more limited role a season ago. According to Anthony Reinhard's StatButler.com, Mims played 15 of 18 first-team snaps in Denver's preseason opener and played all 19 snaps with Nix this past weekend.

But Mims isn't the only Denver wideout to gain steam this preseason. Franklin just played 13 of 19 snaps with Nix over the weekend, trailing just Mims (19) and Sutton (19). No one else saw more than three snaps with Nix. Regarding Franklin's Year 2 jump, Sean Payton said "it's happening, and I'm excited." What followed those comments were even more intriguing -- the Broncos traded Vele to the New Orleans Saints for a fourth- and sixth-round draft pick, citing a numbers issue in the WR room.

Thus, all signs point to Franklin being the third option in this offense with the potential to earn something more. He currently carries an ADP of WR78 at pick 259, and it seems he could be worth your time in deeper leagues.

Pat Bryant 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook

Denver selected Bryant with the 74th overall pick in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

We're always looking for rookies, especially buy-low receivers, to target in fantasy football. Does the 11th wideout taken in this year's draft stand any chance to be relevant in fantasy?

Bryant's stock technically rose following Vele's departure -- a natural sequence of events when one player ahead of another is removed from the depth chart. Denver's willingness to move on from Vele tells us that they're gearing up to funnel more dedicated work through other receivers past Sutton but, as it stands, it seems Mims and Franklin are the main benefactors. Bryant played two first-team snaps with Nix in the preseason opener but didn't take any with Nix this past Saturday. Trent Sherfield, meanwhile, played three first-team snaps.

Bryant's rookie status gives him that shiny unknown quality, but it could also be the reason why he is -- perhaps erroneously -- being drafted in front of Franklin right now with an ADP of WR75 at pick 239. Neither Bryant nor Franklin will cost you much, anyway, but it seems Franklin's preseason buzz could be legit while Bryant is in firm dart throw territory.

Futures Day is coming August 26th. Learn more here.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.