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Jaylen Waddle injury: status, history and who gets his targets if he is out

Denver Broncos · Wide receiver · status this week: not on the week 7 injury report (week 7 report, captured Wed 21 Oct, 6:15am)

Checked Oct 21, 2026.

Over his 5 full seasons on record, Jaylen Waddle played 78 of 85 regular-season games (92%), and 6 of 6 so far in 2026. Season by season.

The Denver Broncos room absorbs +5.27 receptions, and Lil'Jordan Humphrey takes the largest single share at +0.91. The work stays overwhelmingly inside the wide receiver room.

Where the work goes

Change in projected receptions for every other player in the offense. The bars are small on purpose — a vacated role is shared out, and any tool showing one replacement absorbing a whole target load is telling you something the data does not support.

Receptions gained if Jaylen Waddle sitsLil'Jordan Humphrey+0.9WR 19% snapsCourtland Sutton+0.9WR 78% snapsTroy Franklin+0.8WR 40% snapsKolbe Katsis+0.6WR 0% snapsMarvin Mims Jr.+0.6WR 24% snapsPat Bryant+0.5WR 57% snapsEvan Engram+0.2TE 56% snapsNate Adkins+0.2TE 32% snapsAdam Trautman+0.1TE 51% snapsRJ Harvey+0.1RB 39% snapsJonah Coleman+0.1RB 40% snapsJ.K. Dobbins+0.1RB 44% snapsTyler Badie+0.1RB 16% snapschange in projected receptions

Every player in the room

PlayerCatches nowIf he sitsChange
Jaylen Waddle WR · 66% snaps3.70—OUT
RJ Harvey RB · 39% snaps3.803.93+0.13
Courtland Sutton WR · 78% snaps2.603.46+0.86
Jonah Coleman RB · 40% snaps2.302.43+0.13
Evan Engram TE · 56% snaps1.801.96+0.16
Marvin Mims Jr. WR · 24% snaps1.702.26+0.56
Pat Bryant WR · 57% snaps1.602.09+0.49
J.K. Dobbins RB · 44% snaps1.501.63+0.13
Troy Franklin WR · 40% snaps1.402.23+0.83
Tyler Badie RB · 16% snaps1.201.32+0.12
Nate Adkins TE · 32% snaps1.001.16+0.16
Kolbe Katsis WR · 0% snaps0.501.14+0.64
Adam Trautman TE · 51% snaps0.400.55+0.15
Lil'Jordan Humphrey WR · 19% snaps0.401.31+0.91

Injury history

Over his 5 full seasons on record, Jaylen Waddle played 78 of 85 regular-season games (92%), and 6 of 6 so far in 2026.

SeasonTeamPlayedMissedListed outQuestionableInjuries listed
2026DEN6 of 6000—
2025MIA16 of 17102Ribs, Shoulder
2024MIA15 of 17202Knee
2023MIA14 of 17312Ankle, Concussion
2022MIA17 of 17003Groin, Shoulder
2021MIA16 of 17100—

Regular season only. Games played counts games with at least one offensive snap; designations are from the official weekly injury report, which does not list players on injured reserve, so a long absence shows as missed games rather than as weeks listed out.

What the data says happens

Measured across every regular-season game from 2018 onward, each beneficiary compared against his own trailing four-game form and net of what the same players do in weeks the room’s number one actually plays.

When a team’s number-one wide receiver does not play, what each position group gains:

RoomReceptions gainednt
Receivers+0.5841,53711.16
Tight ends+0.1751,0803.33
Backs+0.1131,0112.00

The room total is predictable. Which player takes it is not. Every candidate predictor of who gains — pecking order, snap share, route depth, trailing targets — correlates at roughly r = 0.02. In any single week one player usually takes about 60% of what was vacated; it is simply not predictably the same one.

Jaylen Waddle’s full stats and usageSnap share, target share, game log and this week’s projection

Cascade effects 2018–2026, paired within player, net of control · projections as-of-week with no lookahead · 2026 week 7