Who Should I Start? Troy Franklin or Devaughn Vele

Sunday, August 17, 1:22 PM

Denver Broncos second-year wide receiver Troy Franklin continued to stand out in the team's 27-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday in the second week of the preseason. Franklin caught four of his five targets from backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham for 67 yards and two touchdowns. The 22-year-old out of Oregon has received praise from teammates this summer and has now caught nine passes for 85 yards and the two scores in two preseason games. He shared the team lead in catches and targets with rookie Pat Bryant on Saturday. Franklin has shown improvement in training camp going into his sophomore season in th NFL, but competition for targets in Denver behind WR1 Courtland Sutton could be fierce. He caught 28 of his 53 targets for 263 yards and two TDs in 16 regular-season games (six starts) last year and is currently outside RotoBaller's top 100 fantasy wideouts.

Wednesday, August 20, 7:13 PM

The New Orleans Saints have acquired wide receiver Devaughn Vele from the Denver Broncos for a 2026 fourth-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round selection. Vele was a seventh-rounder in 2024 who exceeded expectations as a rookie, catching 41 of 55 targets for 475 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games. However, the former Utah standout's role in the Denver offense diminished late in the season as Marvin Mims Jr. started receiving more targets. With Mims, Courtland Sutton, and Troy Franklin all returning and rookie third-rounder Pat Bryant coming in this year, the Broncos have decided to move on from Vele for a solid return on investment. Going from Bo Nix to either Spencer Rattler or Tyler Shough will be a major downgrade at quarterback for Vele, but he could be a bigger part of a Saints offense that doesn't have much at receiver after Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Brandin Cooks.