Who Should I Start? Jaylen Waddle or Ricky Pearsall
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12.2 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 4.4 | 57.8 | 0.3 |
Jaylen Waddle News
Monday, July 13, 5:59 AM
The Denver Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin finally broke through in 2025, only to watch the team trade for Jaylen Waddle a few months later. Franklin went from 28 catches for 263 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie to 65 for 709 yards and six scores on 104 targets. That growth matters. So does the new depth chart. Waddle and Courtland Sutton should command most of the work, with Franklin, Marvin Mims Jr., and Pat Bryant left to sort out the rest. Franklin still has the Oregon history with Bo Nix, but that alone will not protect last season's volume. At 23, though, he is too young to dump after one bad offseason turn. RotoBaller has him at WR80 in dynasty, low enough that selling now probably means taking the loss after Waddle's arrival. Hold him and wait for the room to open up. Redraft is much thinner. Franklin sits at WR82 in PPR and needs camp to show he has a steady role before he becomes more than a late flier.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.6 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 3.4 | 47.6 | 0.2 |
Ricky Pearsall News
Thursday, July 2, 11:47 AM
Before San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall's NFL career even got off the ground, he suffered a gunshot wound during an attempted robbery that caused him to miss the first six weeks of his rookie campaign in 2024. He played in 11 games (four starts), catching 31 of 46 targets for 400 yards and three touchdowns. The 25-year-old former 31st overall pick out of the University of Florida then suffered a hamstring injury and a PCL injury in his knee in 2025 that limited him to just nine starts. Pearsall finished with 36 receptions on 53 targets for 528 yards and no touchdowns in nine regular-season starts. The Niners let Jauan Jennings walk in free agency in the offseason, but they added future Hall of Famer Mike Evans and slot man Christian Kirk, while taking De'Zhaun Stribling in the second round of the NFL draft. San Fran's WR room is deeper, which means that opposing defenses shouldn't be able to key in on him in his third season. NFL.com's Nick Shook believes Pearsall could be set up for a breakout season. He's a risk/reward WR4/flex that is certainly worth a late-round selection in fantasy drafts for his upside when healthy.
Jaylen Waddle vs. Ricky Pearsall
Still trying to decide between Waddle and Pearsall? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Jaylen Waddle is projected to score 12.2 points this week while Ricky Pearsall is projected to score 9.6 points.
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