Who Should I Start? Troy Franklin or Devaughn Vele

Wednesday, September 17, 8:41 PM

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix said that second-year wide receiver Troy Franklin is "starting to develop into the player everyone knows he can become." Franklin, who was teammates with Nix at Oregon, had a breakout game in the Week 2 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, catching eight of his nine targets for 89 yards and a touchdown. The 22-year-old wideout currently leads the Broncos in targets (15), catches (12), and receiving yards (133) through the first two games in 2025. Franklin probably won't take over WR1 duties from Courtland Sutton, but a second-year breakout could very well be in the cards for him, especially because of his strong chemistry with Nix. His primary competition for weekly targets will come from Marvin Mims Jr., who is more of a big-play deep threat than one who will be consistently peppered with targets. If you need WR help early on, Franklin is definitely worth a waiver-wire pickup.

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.