Troy Franklin

Troy Franklin enters the 2026 fantasy season as a talented but volatile depth option in Denver. The biggest change to his outlook is the Broncos’ offseason addition of Jaylen Waddle, which pushes Franklin into a likely No. 3 receiver role behind Waddle and Courtland Sutton, with Marvin Mims and Pat Bryant also competing for targets.

That matters because Franklin’s 2025 production showed he can be useful when volume opens up: he finished with 65 catches for 709 yards and six touchdowns on 104 targets. But with Waddle now in the mix, multiple sources expect Franklin’s target share to fall, and fantasy managers may only be able to trust him if one of the top receivers misses time.

The optimistic case is that Franklin still has age-based upside and enough talent to stay relevant in deeper formats. FantasyData notes that he is just entering his age-23 season and still carries some dynasty appeal, while CBS Sports says he is worth considering only as a late-round flier in deeper leagues for redraft. That makes him more of a bench stash than a weekly starter in standard fantasy builds.

For 2026 drafts, Franklin is best viewed as a risk/reward WR4 or WR5 with playable weeks tied to injury or matchup-driven volume. If Denver’s passing game spreads the ball the way the current depth chart suggests, his ceiling is capped; if Waddle or Sutton miss time, Franklin could quickly regain usable fantasy value.

Updated 06/08/2026