Devaughn

Vele

Vele’s ill-timed doughnut was only his second of the entire season. A truly absurd 27 years old for a rookie, Vele had an exceptional inaugural campaign for a seventh-round pick, but it’s hard to believe there’s a whole more juice left to squeeze here. That being said, Vele’s 41/475/3 rookie slash commands that you at least keep him around in Dynasty leagues. 2025 is a contract year for fellow boundary wideout Courtland Sutton, while Vele outproduced fellow rookie Troy Franklin.

Vele continued his volatile ways against the Chiefs thanks to a heads-up play in the end zone. Bo Nix fired a tough pass to a fellow Broncos pass catcher who was unable to secure it in the back of the end zone. Fortunately for Vele, two Chiefs defenders took turns bobbling the ball until Vele could swoop in to secure it. The 27-year-old rookie will again be a low-floor flex option with a moderately high ceiling against the Bills next week.

Vele was the only starting Denver wide receiver to fail to return a usable fantasy score in championship week as Courtland Sutton went 5-55-1 and Marvin Mim erupted for 8-103-2. Either way, it appears Vele will remain in the team’s plans into the future after earning more snaps through numerous bodies this season. Perhaps Vele can return better counting stats after it matters in fantasy leagues when the Broncos host the Chiefs in Week 18.

Vele snagged a six-yard touchdown from Bo Nix near the middle of the second quarter to give the Broncos a 21-10 lead. The Chargers dominated from that point on, and Vele wasn’t a factor for the rest of the contest. The 27-year-old rookie — still a weird thing to type — has been much more relevant than anticipated, but fantasy players should be able to find much better options than Vele in Week 17 against the Bengals.

Coming off of performances of 66 and 88 yards over his past two outings, Vele was a no-show against the Colts amid major struggles from Bo Nix. Vele ran a pass route on 26 of the team’s 39 drop backs but was not involved in the passing attack. Marvin Mims was second on the Broncos (behind Courtland Sutton) with four targets. Vele will be a deep league option next week against the Chargers.

Vele simply wasn’t needed for his typical short-area work as the Denver defense managed two pick-sixes to sink the Browns. Both Marvin Mims and Courtland Sutton broke through the 100-yard receiving mark, with the team more intent on hammering the intermediate-to-deep areas of the field against the Browns. Vele and the Broncos head to their bye before facing off against the Colts in Week 15.

With 15 receptions over the past three outings, Vele has established himself as Denver’s clear No. 2 wideout behind Courtland Sutton. No other Denver wideout had more than five targets against the Raiders. The rookie saw a handful of underneath targets and operated primarily in the middle of the field against a middling Vegas secondary. The reliable Vele has distanced himself from every other secondary and tertiary Broncos pass catcher, making him a WR3/4 option for Week 13 against the Browns.

Vele, who last week caught all four of his targets for 39 yards against the Chiefs, was second among Broncos pass catchers in targets and receptions against Atlanta. Vele has positioned himself as the Broncos’ No. 2 receiver in recent weeks, though he’ll only be viable in deeper formats. Vele gets the Raiders in Week 12.

Vele found a soft hole in zone coverage on his first-quarter touchdown that opened scoring. He has rarely been this involved for the Broncos this year, as it is his first game over four targets since Week 6. Vele will remain waiver wire filler outside of deeper leagues even with a solid Week 11 matchup against the Falcons.

Vele missed a few games early in the year with a rib injury but returned for a 78-yard receiving line in Week 6. He has since been an afterthought in the offense, totaling 59 yards over his past three games combined. Vele shouldn’t be rostered in even the deepest of fantasy formats.