Devaughn Vele's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Denver Broncos rookie wide receiver Devaughn Vele (ribs) missed practice all week with an injury to his ribs and was officially ruled out on Friday for the team's Week 2 home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's extremely disappointing for Vele, who caught all eight of his targets for 39 yards on 49% of the offensive snaps in the Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The 26-year-old seventh-round selection this year seems to have already built some nice chemistry with fellow rookie quarterback Bo Nix, but he'll have to get healthy first before hoping to carve out a role as the WR3 in Denver in his first year in the NFL. For now, Vele is mostly just a bench stash in deep fantasy leagues and dynasty/keeper formats. Vele's absence on Sunday will create more targets for Courtland Sutton, Josh Reynolds and Marvin Mims Jr. against a tough defense.

Denver Broncos wide receivers Josh Reynolds (Achilles) and Devaughn Vele (ribs) were both listed as non-participants in Wednesday's practice. Both wideouts were pivotal pieces in Denver's passing attack against the Seahawks despite the 26-20 loss. Vele and Reynolds each tied for second on the team with eight targets (Courtland Sutton - 12), while the former caught all eight of his --albeit for 39 yards -- and the latter led the team with 45 yards and a long gain of 25. For either player to participate in the Bronco's Week 2 home tilt against the Pittsburgh Steelers, they'll need to get in at least one limited session before the weekend. Of note: while the rookie wideout averaged just 4.9 yards a grab this past Sunday, he was in on 34 of Denver's snaps (49%) and ran 83.9% of his routes from the slot. After a one-game sample, at least -- it would appear Sean Payton has found his "big-slot" guy.

Denver Broncos rookie wide receiver Devaughn Vele made a statement in his NFL debut on Sunday in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Vele didn't have a banner day by any means with just 39 receiving yards, but his eight receptions (on eight targets) surprisingly led the team on a day in which the Broncos offense couldn't really move the ball at all consistently in rookie first-round quarterback Bo Nix's NFL debut. Vele caught all eight of the balls thrown his way in this one and was tied for second in targets with Josh Reynolds, behind Courtland Sutton's 12. Vele, a seventh round pick this year, wasn't targeted very far beyond the line of scrimmage with his eight receptions, but just that fact that he commanded that much attention from Nix is notable. The 26-year-old seems to have developed some good chemistry with his QB and is worth a look in deeper fantasy leagues as a waiver pickup.