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Broncos' Troy Franklin Sees Fantasy Football Week 3 Stock Rise After Evan Engram Injury

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Zach Kaplan | Last updated Sep 20, 2025 8:11 PM ET

The Broncos suffered a difficult loss in Week 2 against the Colts, dropping to 1-1 after a 29-28 defeat.

Bo Nix was considerably better than in Week 1 against the Titans, completing 73% of his passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception. The one problem was the run defense, as Jonathan Taylor ran for 165 yards on 25 attempts, as well as 50 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.

One Broncos player that has everyone excited going into Denver's Week 3 bout with the Chargers is 2024 fourth-round pick Troy Franklin out of Oregon.

Franklin put himself firmly on everyone's radar last week with an 8-89-1 line that raised the bar quite a bit from his 44 receiving yards on four catches in Week 1.

Franklin's fantasy stock as a waiver-wire add has plenty of fantasy players assured of a breakout performance, especially with Evan Engram out with a back injury.

Franklin is only rostered in 38.7% of ESPN leagues, and ESPN's Matt Bowen highlighted Franklin's strength in RPO scenarios, where he will command a fair target share. Bowen said he expects the Broncos will set Franklin up for plenty of screens, slants and crossers on Sunday against the Chargers.

Daniel Dopp even said on the Fantasy Focus show that the Broncos are 'manufacturing touches' for Franklin, who leads Courtland Sutton and the rest of the receiving core by a fair margin.

Franklin's 133 receiving yards are significantly more than Sutton's 67, though the Broncos' spread-the-love approach didn't benefit the eighth-year wideout, who only caught one reception for six yards last Sunday.

One of the main limiting factors for Franklin in fantasy last season was his lack of touchdowns - out of 53 targets and 28 receptions, Franklin only found the endzone twice to go along with 263 yards. Now, on Sunday, the second-year wide receiver has the opportunity to match his first-season total.

It's a good bet to push Franklin up to the top of the lineup, especially if in a deeper league.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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