WR · DEN · GWTTKB

Courtland Sutton — fantasy football 2026

Every game, every stat category, and what the board says. 12.92 points per game in 2025, an ADP of 85.6, usage worth 12.4.

30 years old · 8 seasons of experience · 2018 draft class

Updated 2026-08-16 · free, no account, no paywall
Every figure below comes from our database. Where a stat is not held, the row is absent rather than zero.
ADP 85.6
Consensus across 4 books, standard deviation 10.1, 23.4 picks between cheapest and priciest. Cheapest on yahoo, priciest on cbs.
SLEEPER80.9
ESPN85.9
YAHOO99.6
UNDERDOG84.5
CBS76.2
FFA104

Draft-room facts

Goes aroundRound 8, pick 2 in a 12-team draft
Positional rankWR33
Bye week10
ADP standard deviation10.1 picks

What we project for 2026

Our board has him at 158.1 points, 9.6 per game — 55.1 catches, 718 yards, 5.2 TDs. That is WR5, 103 overall.

The range runs from a floor of 7.8 points per game to a ceiling of 15.1, with the median at 9.6. Boom rate 57%, bust rate 19%. The spread is the actual bet, not the middle number.

He goes at 85.6 on consensus and our board has him 103. We rank him 17.4 picks worse than the room drafts him. At that distance it is a fade: we do not want him anywhere near his ADP.

Our written view

a legitimately good, still-productive NFL receiver, but specifically discounted for a season-long redraft build because as long as Waddle stays healthy there's no real path to a weekly-startable target share. Framed as a fine best-ball pickup (stable, low-variance, late), not someone worth planning to actually start in redraft.

watch · medium conviction · 2026-08

The offense he plays in, 2026

Denver Broncos returns 4 of 6 continuity slots, replacing wr1, oc. Bo Nix at quarterback, Sean Payton as head coach, Davis Webb calling it. The offense projects to 35 pass attempts a game at medium confidence and 26.4 rushes.

In: Jaylen Waddle (wr1), Lil'Jordan Humphrey (wr6), Dane Key (wr7), Jonah Coleman (rb3).

His own projected target share for 2026 is 19.7%, with a bear case of 18.7% and a bull case of 19.9% and a full range of 17.5% to 21.1%. That comes from 25 historical comparables, not from a depth chart.

The projected target split across the offense:

Courtland Sutton 19.7%
Troy Franklin10.9%
Jaylen Waddle9.8%
RJ Harvey9%
Evan Engram8.3%
Pat Bryant7.6%

Our written view on this offense in 2026

What the offense looks like: The Jaylen Waddle trade is probably bad for Waddle & Suttons value. It is likely worse for Sutton than Waddle though. The RB room is also nearly impossible to predict. What we do know: if a RB is featured on this offense they are a weekly RB1, but JK Dobbins, Harvey, and now Coleman will be difficult to trust when all three are healthy. WR 3 - WR 6 on Denver all are promising young WR and could be potential trade targets for WR needy teams early in 2026.

Key additions: A key add is Broncos QB coach Davis Webb was promoted to OC & will handle play calling in 2026. Webb was a potential head coach candidate & Denver maintains a great weapon on their coaching staff. Broncos traded 1st round pick for WR Jaylen Waddle from dolphins. He will likely function as teams WR1. Broncos also drafted RB Jonah Coleman in the 4th round from washington & TE Justin Joly in the 5th round.

Key departures: No key departures on offense

Notes: Bo Nix will be 100% healthy by camp following foot injury in NFL playoffs. Broncos traded their 2026 1st round pick for Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle. This will significantly reduce Sutton's role as the alpha in the offense. Pat Bryant & Troy Franklin will likely have trade interest but if they stay on the team will have reduced roles. Broncos backfield is incredibly difficult to project & will need to be monitored all summer. Denver extended JK Dobbins & Drafted Jonah Coleman in the 5th round. Dobbins expected to be 1A and Harvey 1B, with Coleman as reserve, but Sean Payton as HC can do whatever he wants. Broncos drafted TE Justin Joly in the 5th round who has a small chance to be relevant because Evan Engram is legit trash

How the volume number was reached: Same QB Bo Nix returning — anchor to 2025 actuals (36 att/g); Regressed 42% toward league mean 33.5, floored at 30 → 35 att/g; New OC Davis Webb — pass rate and tempo may shift.

How that share projection was built

25 historical comps for WRs age ~29, prior share 22.7%, same team, OC change. Distribution: median 20.0%, p25-p75 [18.1%, 21.1%], tails [15.0%, 24.4%]. Closest comps: DK Metcalf 2023→2024 (SEA: 24.4%→20.8%); Amari Cooper 2023→2024 (CLE: 23.4%→18.7%); Tyler Lockett 2023→2024 (SEA: 22.7%→13.3%). Adjustment: +4% from hidden_breakout (skill jumped, production setup)

self-anchored 58% to own 22.7% role (3yr), 42% to comp median 20.0%

The named comps are the closest historical matches and the arrow is what their share actually did the following season. That is the working, not a summary of it — if you disagree with the projection, this is the part to argue with.

Offensive environment: DEN rates 22.9 against a league average of 23, 0.1 below it on opponent-adjusted least squares (multi-capture merge).

2026 schedule

Opponent-adjusted pass defense faced, against 2025 ratings. Positive is an easier slate.

Full season-2.6 · harder
Weeks 1–6-4.8 · harder
Weeks 12–17+0.8 · neutral
Fantasy playoffs (15–17)-9.2 · harder

Read this narrowly. Our own testing found that season-long strength of schedule does not survive as a draft input — defensive quality is among the least stable team properties year to year, and a preseason slate is built on last year's identities. The playoff-weeks column is the only one we would let break a tie, and even then it is a tiebreaker rather than a reason. The finding.

What happened when he missed time

From the absence record rather than a depth chart — who actually gained when he was out.

SeasonGames missedMain beneficiaryTheir PPR gain
20222Jerry Jeudy+11.9
Read the full Courtland Sutton study →

Dynasty context not redraft

Everything in this section is about his dynasty trade value — what he is worth as a long-term asset in the trade market. It is not a forecast of his 2026 fantasy scoring. A player can be a fine redraft pick while his dynasty value falls, and the reverse. The redraft read is above; this is a different question with a different answer.

Where he sits in the dynasty value cycle

His dynasty value has moved -15.1% over the last twelve months. The market cycle classifies him as stable.

For context on how long this lasts at the position: the average career at his position produces 2.1 elite seasons and 2.6 startable seasons.

The five most similar seasons, and what their dynasty value did next

Matched on production profile — production-driven (pedigree ignored). The last column is how that player’s dynasty value moved the following year — a market outcome, not a scoring one.

PlayerSeasonTheir PPGSimilarityNext year
Tyler Lockett202311.970%-28.6%
Terry McLaurin202415.869%-16.4%
Amari Cooper202315.168%-18.9%
Amari Cooper202214.560%+21.3%
Michael Pittman202410.457%+14.8%

Of the 5 with a following season on record, 2 gained value, 3 lost it and 0 held roughly flat.

Four years of dynasty value

02,0004,0006,000202120222023202420252026
Monthly superflex value, 2020-04 to 2026-07. Down 53% across the series, peaking at 6,648.

The player

Draft capital and athletic profile

Drafted2018, round 2, pick 40 by DEN
CollegeSMU
Age at draft22
Height6′3″
Weight218 lb
40-yard dash4.54s
Vertical35.5″
Broad jump124″
3-cone6.57s
Shuttle4.11s

Availability and volatility

Career PPR per game11.6
Week-to-week variation0.6
Boom rate19.7%
Bust rate24.2%
Games missed per season0.6
Injury historyHamstring, Concussion
Correlation between his posted line and his actual score0.03

That correlation is how closely the books’ posted line tracked what he actually scored, week to week. A higher number means the market has him figured out and there is less to exploit; a lower one means his weeks are harder to price.

Injury type matters more than games missed. Measured across our injury database, knee and foot returns stay below a player’s pre-injury baseline for all three of the first games back, while hamstring returns over-recover by the third.

The record, season by season

2025 · DEN · 17 games

His best game was Week 15 against GB — 24.3 PPR on 10 targets and a 31.3% target share, in a game that finished 34-26. His worst was Week 18 against LAC at 1.5, on 2 targets, final score 19-3. Across 17 games he cleared 20 points 3 times and came in under 8 points 4 times. In the 13 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 12.9; in the 4 decided by more, 13. He scored more when the game was not close.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 12.4 points per game. He scored 12.92, 1.7% above it. The engine classified the season as neutral.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1TEN20-1218.16961124.3%95%
2IND28-291.6146013.3%78%
3LAC20-2323.868118134.8%81%
4CIN28-319.15681114.3%85%
5PHI21-1717.981099027.8%95%
6NYJ13-112.71317011.5%80%
7NYG33-3216.761087020.4%94%
8DAL44-2410.74667022.2%84%
9HOU18-15101630117.6%92%
10LV10-75.43424014.8%87%
11KC22-199.94859022.2%92%
13WAS27-2617.25662114%81%
14LV24-1712.261062027.8%65%
15GB34-2624.3710113131.3%88%
16JAX20-3420.661286126.1%94%
17KC20-13841040027%82%
18LAC19-31.512508.7%78%

Production

Receptions74
Targets124
Receiving yards1,017
Touchdowns7
Points per game12.92
Yards per target8.2
Catch rate59.68%

Role

Snap share85.35%
Target share21.06%
Air-yards share34.44%
WOPR0.558
RACR0.696

Efficiency

Average depth of target12.4
Yards after catch per reception3
Yards before catch per reception10.7
Total YAC222
Broken tackles3
Drop rate0.1%
Passer rating when targeted94.7
Receiving EPA per game2.68

Scoring position

Red-zone targets20
Red-zone target share22.2%
End-zone target share44.4%
Expected receiving TDs5.19
Actual receiving TDs5
Receiving TD luck-0.19

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game18 of 44
Yards per target20 of 44
Target share27 of 44
Air-yards share18 of 44

Who else ate

The offense threw it 613 times. He took 21.6% of the targets. 1 team-mate cleared the competing-target threshold.

Courtland Sutton 21.6%
Troy Franklin18.12%
Evan Engram13.24%
RJ Harvey10.1%
Marvin Mims Jr.8.89%
Pat Bryant8.54%

Blowouts against close games

2 of his 17 games were blowouts, 13.6% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 14.9 in those and 12.91 in close games — a meaningful share of his scoring came with the game already decided.

2024 · DEN · 16 games

His best game was Week 12 against LV — 29.7 PPR on 10 targets and a 25.6% target share, in a game that finished 29-19. His worst was Week 2 against PIT at 3.6, on 4 targets, final score 6-13. Across 16 games he cleared 20 points 3 times and came in under 8 points 3 times. In the 7 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 12.5; in the 9 decided by more, 17. He scored more when the game was not close.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 15 points per game. He scored 15.02, 0.9% below it. The engine classified the season as neutral. On receiving touchdowns specifically he finished 7 against 4.99 expected, a gap of 2.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1SEA20-267.841238028.6%91%
2PIT6-133.61426012.1%89%
3TB26-713.871168032.4%74%
4NYJ10-9153960136%79%
5LV34-185.22532019.2%81%
6LAC16-2315.34653118.8%85%
8CAR28-1417.12811100028.9%84%
9BAL10-4123.28710122130.3%85%
10KC14-16196970132.1%93%
11ATL38-614.87878025%84%
12LV29-1929.781097225.6%85%
13CLE41-3216.269102029%94%
15IND31-1312.23932128.1%90%
16LAC27-34105650015.4%91%
17CIN24-3016.55955129%93%
18KC38-020.85798124.1%65%

Production

Receptions81
Targets135
Receiving yards1,081
Touchdowns9
Points per game15.02
Yards per target8.01
Catch rate60%

Role

Snap share85.19%
Target share25.91%
Air-yards share47.67%
WOPR0.723
RACR0.644

Efficiency

Average depth of target13.2
Yards after catch per reception2.2
Yards before catch per reception11.1
Total YAC179
Broken tackles1
Drop rate0.1%
Passer rating when targeted86.7
Receiving EPA per game2.32

Scoring position

Red-zone targets23
Red-zone target share31.1%
End-zone target share51.7%
Expected receiving TDs4.99
Actual receiving TDs7
Receiving TD luck2.01

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game17 of 51
Yards per target28 of 51
Target share16 of 51
Air-yards share1 of 51

Who else ate

The offense threw it 569 times. He took 25.09% of the targets. 0 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

Courtland Sutton 25.09%
Javonte Williams13.01%
Devaughn Vele10.22%
Troy Franklin9.85%
Marvin Mims Jr.9.67%
Lil'Jordan Humphrey8.36%

Blowouts against close games

5 of his 16 games were blowouts, 35.3% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 16.98 in those and 12.46 in close games — a meaningful share of his scoring came with the game already decided.

2023 · DEN · 16 games

His best game was Week 7 against GB — 19.6 PPR on 6 targets and a 25% target share, in a game that finished 19-17. His worst was Week 16 against NE at 0, on 1 targets, final score 23-26. Across 16 games he cleared 20 points 0 times and came in under 8 points 3 times. In the 8 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 13.2; in the 8 decided by more, 10.6. He scored more when the game was live.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 9.7 points per game. He scored 11.89, 22.9% above it. The engine classified the season as lucky. On receiving touchdowns specifically he finished 8 against 3.82 expected, a gap of 4.2.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1LV16-1713.24532115.6%86%
2WAS33-3511.65766025.9%89%
3MIA20-7019.181191130.6%95%
4CHI31-2811.73527119.2%83%
5NYJ21-312.31313011.1%86%
6KC8-1914.64646127.3%94%
7GB19-1719.66676125%86%
8KC24-910.92329116.7%79%
10BUF24-2217.381153137.9%87%
11MIN21-2016.64566115.6%80%
12CLE29-129.13661028.6%78%
13HOU17-2215.72777129.2%85%
14LAC24-715.23462113.3%75%
15DET17-4212.15671018.8%94%
16NE23-26001002.9%13%
18LV14-271.2142012.5%46%

Production

Receptions59
Targets90
Receiving yards772
Touchdowns10
Points per game11.89
Yards per target8.58
Catch rate65.56%

Role

Snap share78.5%
Target share20.64%
Air-yards share32.8%
WOPR0.538
RACR0.763

Efficiency

Average depth of target11.8
Yards after catch per reception2.6
Yards before catch per reception10.4
Total YAC156
Broken tackles0
Drop rate0.1%
Passer rating when targeted120.2
Receiving EPA per game1.38

Scoring position

Red-zone targets18
Red-zone target share25.4%
End-zone target share41.9%
Expected receiving TDs3.82
Actual receiving TDs8
Receiving TD luck4.18

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game37 of 51
Yards per target21 of 51
Target share35 of 51
Air-yards share22 of 51

Who else ate

The offense threw it 513 times. He took 18.99% of the targets. 1 team-mate cleared the competing-target threshold.

Courtland Sutton 18.99%
Jerry Jeudy18.35%
Javonte Williams12.24%
Samaje Perine11.81%
Jaleel McLaughlin7.59%
Adam Trautman7.38%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 2 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Russell Wilson158612.68.9521.18%
Jarrett Stidham141.20.512.5%

Blowouts against close games

4 of his 16 games were blowouts, 29.2% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 13.88 in those and 13.21 in close games — a meaningful share of his scoring came with the game already decided.

2022 · DEN · 15 games

His best game was Week 2 against HOU — 19.7 PPR on 11 targets and a 39.3% target share, in a game that finished 16-9. His worst was Week 13 against BAL at 0, on 1 targets, final score 9-10. Across 15 games he cleared 20 points 0 times and came in under 8 points 4 times. In the 12 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 9.9; in the 3 decided by more, 13.7. He scored more when the game was not close.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 12.4 points per game. He scored 10.63, 14.4% below it. The engine classified the season as unlucky. On receiving touchdowns specifically he finished 2 against 3.58 expected, a gap of -1.6.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1SEA16-1711.24772017.1%95%
2HOU16-919.7711122039.3%92%
3SF11-1017.781097031.3%86%
4LV23-3216.25752128%94%
5IND9-1212.451174028.9%93%
6LAC16-193.42314012%100%
7NYJ9-165.33923020%91%
8JAX21-172.31413015.4%95%
10TEN10-1712.661166028.2%93%
11LV16-22135780025%92%
12CAR10-2313.56875025%93%
13BAL9-10001004.8%43%
16LA14-5111.45764020.6%79%
17KC24-278.44644016.7%81%
18LAC31-2812.33733131.8%94%

Production

Receptions64
Targets109
Receiving yards829
Carries1
Rushing yards5
Touchdowns2
Points per game10.63
Yards per target7.61
Catch rate58.72%
Yards per carry5

Role

Snap share88.07%
Target share22.94%
Air-yards share29.04%
WOPR0.547
RACR0.616

Efficiency

Average depth of target12.3
Yards after catch per reception2.4
Yards before catch per reception10.6
Total YAC152
Broken tackles1
Drop rate0.1%
Passer rating when targeted73.5
Receiving EPA per game1.59
Rushing EPA per game0.01

Scoring position

Red-zone targets14
Red-zone target share26.4%
End-zone target share33.3%
Expected receiving TDs3.58
Actual receiving TDs2
Receiving TD luck-1.58

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game38 of 51
Yards per target31 of 51
Target share25 of 51
Air-yards share25 of 51

Who else ate

The offense threw it 571 times. He took 20.6% of the targets. 1 team-mate cleared the competing-target threshold.

Courtland Sutton 20.6%
Jerry Jeudy18.9%
Greg Dulcich10.4%
Latavius Murray6.43%
Kendall Hinton6.24%
Melvin Gordon6.05%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 2 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Russell Wilson1410011.018.0623.15%
Brett Rypien195.32.5620%

Blowouts against close games

1 of his 15 games were blowouts, 7.2% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 11.4 in those and 9.86 in close games — a meaningful share of his scoring came with the game already decided.

2021 · DEN · 17 games

His best game was Week 5 against PIT — 25 PPR on 11 targets and a 31.4% target share, in a game that finished 19-27. His worst was Week 14 against DET at 1.9, on 2 targets, final score 38-10. Across 17 games he cleared 20 points 3 times and came in under 8 points 11 times. In the 6 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 9.4; in the 11 decided by more, 8.5. He scored more when the game was live.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 10 points per game. He scored 8.84, 11.5% below it. The engine classified the season as unlucky. On receiving touchdowns specifically he finished 1 against 2.99 expected, a gap of -2.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
1NYG27-132.4131408.6%80%
2JAX23-1324.9912159035.3%77%
3NYJ26-08.75537020.8%76%
4BAL7-237.73847021.6%95%
5PIT19-2725711120131.4%90%
6LV24-3423.481494129.2%88%
7CLE14-1711.85568015.6%94%
8WAS17-1062440016%87%
9DAL30-163.912908.3%83%
10PHI13-304.9232908.8%95%
12LAC28-133.72317013%73%
13KC9-223.52615016.7%88%
14DET38-101.912908%87%
15CIN10-153.22712021.9%92%
16LV13-177.34533022.7%79%
17LAC13-3493560018.5%87%
18KC24-282.941313012.5%76%

Production

Receptions58
Targets98
Receiving yards776
Touchdowns2
Points per game8.84
Yards per target7.92
Catch rate59.18%

Role

Snap share85.12%
Target share18.17%
Air-yards share29.72%
WOPR0.481
RACR0.595

Efficiency

Average depth of target15.4
Yards after catch per reception2.3
Yards before catch per reception11.1
Total YAC135
Broken tackles1
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted78.4
Receiving EPA per game1.19

Scoring position

Red-zone targets12
Red-zone target share17.1%
End-zone target share21.1%
Expected receiving TDs2.99
Actual receiving TDs1
Receiving TD luck-1.99

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 80+ targets pool that season:

Points per game45 of 48
Yards per target29 of 48
Target share39 of 48
Air-yards share22 of 48

Who else ate

The offense threw it 541 times. He took 18.99% of the targets. 2 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

Courtland Sutton 18.99%
Noah Fant17.44%
Tim Patrick16.47%
Jerry Jeudy10.85%
Javonte Williams10.27%
Albert Okwuegbunam7.75%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 2 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Teddy Bridgewater13779.488.0917.97%
Drew Lock4216.747.2918.82%

Blowouts against close games

4 of his 17 games were blowouts, 16.3% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 6.13 in those and 9.37 in close games — his scoring did not depend on garbage time.

2020 · DEN · 1 games

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 10.8 points per game. He scored 9.6, 11.1% below it. The engine classified the season as unlucky.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsTDTgt%Snap%
2PIT21-269.63666015.8%40%

Production

Receptions3
Targets6
Receiving yards66
Touchdowns0
Points per game9.6
Yards per target11
Catch rate50%

Role

Snap share40%
Target share15.8%
Air-yards share20.6%
WOPR0.38
RACR0.62

Efficiency

Average depth of target17.7
Yards after catch per reception2.3
Yards before catch per reception19.7
Total YAC7
Broken tackles0
Drop rate0.2%
Passer rating when targeted50
Receiving EPA per game-4.62

Who else ate

The offense threw it 556 times. 2 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

Jerry Jeudy21.2%
Noah Fant17.45%
Tim Patrick14.82%
K.J. Hamler10.51%
Melvin Gordon8.26%
DaeSean Hamilton8.26%
Ask the Coach about Courtland Sutton →
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