Jerry Jeudy’s Rookie Season Comps Display a Wide Range of Outcomes, But a Breakout May Be On the Horizon

Neil Dutton
March 4, 2021

Going into the 2020 NFL season, the Denver Broncos offense had the hallmarks of a unit that could surprise the league. While not 100% sure that Drew Lock was the answer at quarterback, the Broncos were going to give him a chance to succeed. They already had Courtland Sutton and Noah Fant, but in the first round of the draft, they added Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. The Broncos did not, in fact, take the NFL by storm. But how did Jeudy do in his first season? He’s the latest subject of our rookie review series.

By the Numbers

Sutton was lost for the season fairly early in proceedings, meaning that Jeudy was asked to assume a larger role than perhaps the Broncos wanted for him as a rookie. Jeudy commanded 21% of the total team targets on his way to 52 receptions for 856 yards. He found the end zone three times.

Jeudy saw five or more targets in 11 games in 2020 and saw at least ten in three games. He had five or more grabs in four games, with a high of seven in Week 9 against the Falcons. Jeudy was No. 6 among WRs in air yards with 1,522, and he drew more than 100 in seven games.

Despite the heavy usage downfield, Jeudy posted just two games with more than 100 receiving yards. He took for the Falcons for 125. Jeudy also ended the season with five grabs for 140 yards against the Raiders in Week 17. Jeudy did have another seven games with more than 50 receiving yards, including each of his first four games.

Was Jeudy able to translate his receiving work into fantasy production? Well … not quite.

To call Jeudy a boom or bust fantasy performer would be overly simplistic, if not overly generous. Two of his three touchdowns came in the games in which he amassed 100 yards. He wasn’t able to rescue his fantasy managers with the deodorant of touchdowns when he wasn’t able to put up the yards. Add to this the fact that one of his most productive fantasy days came in Week 17, when no one should be playing fantasy football.^[1]If you play in Week 17, I’m sorry but you should seek help. You cannot quite call Jeudy’s rookie season a fantasy triumph.

HISTORICAL COMPS

Footnotes[+]Footnotes[−]

Footnotes
↑1	If you play in Week 17, I’m sorry but you should seek help.

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Neil Dutton

Lead Writer, soft spot for the tight end position. Will never stop loving Duke Johnson.

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