Pat Bryant Fantasy Football Update: Ankle Injury Could Double Troy Franklin's Week 5 Role

The Denver Broncos not only fell to a record of two wins and two losses, but they endured much worse. The team has lost both Pat Surtain II and Pat Bryant to injury. Luckily for Bo Nix's squad, neither player is expected to miss the entire season, but they will be out at least a couple. Here at Fantasy Sports On SI, I will do my due diligence and weigh this Broncos offense without Bryant in Week 5.

Pat Bryant's Role

Pat Bryant, WR, Denver Broncos — Sep 27, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant (13) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams during the second half at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bryant surpassed Troy Franklin II as the Broncos' WR2 in 2025. Now that Jaylen Waddle has arrived, Bryant has been demoted to WR3, and it's not been a meaningless role.

Over four games, Bryant is fourth on the team in routes run (91), two behind Evan Engram, 22 behind Waddle, and 34 behind Courtland Sutton. Bryant is also fourth in targets (12), third in receptions (9), second in yards (133), and second in yards per reception (14.8).

The target share of Bryant adds up to a mere 10%. However, he has 16% of the team's total receiving yards and one of five team receiving touchdowns.

Fantasy Football Impact

Bryant being out shouldn't have too big an effect on the offense, but it will affect it. Bryant has 22.8 snaps per game and 3.0 targets per game, so those targets will go elsewhere. It is not like the pass rate will diminish, so let's figure out how his usage might be split.

The Broncos have five pass-catchers who have at least 21 snaps from the slot position. Only two average at least 10 snaps per game from the slot: Waddle and Bryant.

Specifically, Bryant averages 11.3 routes, of 45% of his total from the slot. Waddle averages 14 routes, also 45% of his total, from the slot.

Courtland Sutton has a 22% slot route rate himself, then Troy Franklin II has a 50% rate.

I would expect Franklin to become more involved in the offense, since he is playing less than half as much as Bryant. For much of 2025, Franklin was a big piece of this offense, and at one point, he led the NFL in red zone targets.

The biggest bump will go to Franklin, who could double his route share. In turn, he can more than double his targets from 1.0 per game to 3 or 4 in Week 5. The rest will go to Waddle.

Estimated Pass-Catching Usage in Week 5:

Jaylen Waddle: 28% Target Share / About 65 Yards
Courtland Sutton: 22% Target Share / About 50 Yards
Troy Franklin: 14% Target Share / About 35 Yards
Evan Engram: 13% Target Share / About 30 Yards
RJ Harvey: 11% Target Share / About 25-30 Yards
Marvin Mims Jr: 5% Target Share / About 15 Yards

Projections to be released on Wednesday afternoon

Pat Bryant Injury Update

Broncos WR Pat Bryant sprained his ankle during Sunday’s loss at San Francisco, and now is expected to miss “a few weeks” per source. pic.twitter.com/uwZA3UYou2
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 5, 2026

Bryant sprained his ankle deep into the third quarter of Week 4's matchup against the 49ers. According to Adam Schefter, Bryant will "miss some time."

Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT, expressed concern that Bryant could have a high-ankle sprain, which would derail Bryant's season for a number of weeks. As of Monday afternoon, there is no confirmed report on Bryant's severity. What we do know is that Bryant is almost certain to miss at least one week and is likely to miss more.

Most high ankle sprains force a wide receiver out for at least three weeks. It could be six weeks or more. Fantasy managers don't know yet, but they can fear it, as history tells the story.

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