Denver Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy is dealing with a moderate hamstring injury heading into his fourth NFL season. Does his injury make him a risky draft-day pick heading into the 2023 fantasy football season? Let’s take a closer look.
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Jerry Jeudy’s Fantasy Outlook for the 2023 NFL Season
Despite a disastrous campaign for the Broncos as a whole, Jeudy actually posted career highs in receptions (67), receiving yards (972), and TDs (6) on his way to a WR22 finish in PPR formats in 2022.
While these numbers aren’t mind-blowing, the fact he produced them in the lowest-scoring offense in the league gave many high hopes for him after the team named Sean Payton as their new head coach.
Jerry Jeudy What. A. Catch.
This was the 47-yard touchdown from Russell Wilson to Jerry Jeudy to end practice yesterday.
Best play of camp by far.
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) August 6, 2023
Payton has a lengthy track record of producing top fantasy performers at the WR and TE positions. From 2016-2019, WR Michael Thomas finished as a top-10 WR four times. During that span, Thomas produced four straight seasons with 120+ targets, 90+ receptions, 1,100+ yards, and 5+ TDs.
Now, Thomas and Jeudy do have different skills, but the target volume is there for a leading man in this offense.
There’s a strong case to be made that Payton could feature Jeudy in this passing attack. Not to mention, Jeudy finished the season strong over the final six weeks, averaging 12.4 fantasy points while posting a 37-523-3 line.
Is Jeudy a Good Fantasy Pick?
Jeudy is currently a big draft-day question mark. While reports suggest he will miss multiple weeks leading up to the season, we simply don’t have a definitive answer on whether or not he will be ready for the start of the 2023 campaign.
#Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy is expected to miss several weeks with a moderate hamstring injury suffered today in practice, per me and @TomPelissero.
That puts Jeudy’s status in question for Week 1. But there’s optimism it’s nothing long term for one of Denver’s top weapons. pic.twitter.com/KNv0QAUDOR
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 24, 2023
He represents an interesting decision for fantasy managers on the clock in the middle rounds.
On one hand, his hamstring injury and uncertain status for the start of the season make him a risky investment on draft day. On the other hand, the fact that he may not miss any time due to this injury means he could present a great draft-day value.
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Ultimately, I would probably pass on him in the fifth round, given the potential to suffer a setback to a hamstring injury is certainly possible.
The choice is yours, but if you do select him, make sure you get some other WRs you feel comfortable with early in the season in the middle-to-late rounds of your draft as a backup plan if Jeudy’s hamstring injury lingers into the season.
- PFN Consensus: 71st overall
- ADP: 64th overall