An unfortunate incident occurred on Tuesday when Denver Broncos wide receiver Tim Patrick seemingly went up for an acrobatic catch in practice before appearing to sustain a knee injury.
According to reports, this was a non-contact injury, and there are now serious doubts about Patrick's availability for the season.
Patrick had standout seasons in 2021 and 2020, totaling 104 receptions, 1476 yards and 11 touchdowns over the two years.
He was primed to be a top target for new quarterback Russell Wilson, but the load will now likely be heavier for the Broncos' other best receivers.
Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton and tight end Albert Okwuegbunam — among others — could be featured even more.
Sutton hauled in 58 catches for 776 yards and two touchdowns in 2021, while Jeudy amassed 38 catches for 467 yards.
Okwuegbunam also had 33 receptions to go with 330 yards and two touchdowns in 2021.
Action Network's Fantasy Football expert Samantha Previte details the impact of the injury below.
Samantha Previte's Denver Broncos Wide Receivers Analysis
Personally, I'm devastated to hear about Patrick. The injury is described as a non-contact knee injury requiring the cart, which could mean something as serious as an ACL tear.
Patrick was one of my top sleeper picks this season. He was being drafted in the WR60 range, according to FantasyPros, and is frequently undervalued.
He finished as WR39 and WR43 in half PPR in the last two seasons, respectively. Patrick would have offered even further upside catching passes from newly-acquired quarterback Wilson, who is a massive upgrade from the QB clown car Patrick has been accustomed to.
Sutton and Jeudy's respective values should remain steady. Both are being drafted in the low-end WR2 range, which feels appropriate. I have no interest in K.J. Hamler, who might seem like the obvious next man up.
Hamler has been largely disappointing in his first two NFL seasons due to injuries.
Montrell Washington could be an interesting name to keep an eye on in deep leagues or dynasty formats. Washington was a fifth-round selection for the Broncos out of Samford, for whom he earned first-team FCS All-American honors in 2019.
Assuming Patrick misses time, we could see a bit of a target boost for tight end Okwuegbunam (currently TE21).
The team traded Noah Fant to the Seahawks as part of the Wilson deal. This means Okwuegbunam could produce low-end TE1 numbers given the upgrade at QB and lack of competition, making him an attractive late-round/low-risk buy.
