The anticipated Jerry Jeudy breakout season is looking less likely. He’s got a hamstring injury, and it looks like it’s going to affect him into the regular season.

Jeudy left practice today clutching his hamstring, and per reports it will be a multiple week injury. That makes it seem unlikely anybody will be able to count on Jeudy in the first two weeks of the season.

I’m not a doctor, but I’ve had some hamstring injuries (the last two times I’ve waterskied, and multiple times in soccer games). They take time to heal, and there’s no hurrying back from that kind of injury. The muscle fabric is torn, and there’s no “gutting it out” and playing through it. Otherwise, it just tears again, and you have to re-start the clock.

I’ve already got Jeudy on a team, and I’m kind of hoping they just hold him out until October – make sure he’s healed before bringing him back.

It’s a shame. With Sean Payton running things in Denver, I was wondering if Jeudy was going to move up into being a top-10 kind of receiver.

He sure came on last year. After a slow start, he ripped if up pretty good in the second half of the season (especially with a 3-TD game against KC). Jeudy in his final nine games averaged 5.6 catches for 76 yards, with 5 TDs. From Week 7 on, only 11 wide receivers averaged better per-game numbers (using PPR scoring).

Jeudy in his first six games last year caught only 47 percent of the passes thrown his way. That’s terrible. But in his final nine games, he caught 78 percent of his targets.

We’ll see what the Broncos trot out in their final exhibition, but I’m expecting that Courtland Sutton and rookie Marvin Mims will be their two main wide receivers until Jeudy’s hamstring is right.

RECEIVERS PER GAME (Week 7 on)
PlayerGNoRecRunTDPPR
Justin Jefferson, Min.117.51052.5521.4
Davante Adams, L.V.125.9920.7519.6
CeeDee Lamb, Dall.116.7863.6419.5
A.J. Brown, Phil.115.0900.8218.9
Tyreek Hill, Mia.116.3921.5518.8
Keenan Allen, LAC96.9761.4417.3
Christian Watson, G.B.83.96581.0017.2
DeAndre Hopkins, Ari.97.1800.3317.1
Stefon Diggs, Buff.105.9770.5016.6
Chris Godwin, T.B.117.5700.2716.3
Tee Higgins, Cin.95.3740.5616.3
Jerry Jeudy, Den.95.6764.4416.2
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Det.126.6742.2515.7
DeVonta Smith, Phil.115.6730.4515.6
Tyler Lockett, Sea.105.0610.7015.3
Terry McLaurin, Was.115.0751.3614.8
Mike Evans, T.B.105.3770.3014.8
Jaylen Waddle, Mia.114.1751.4514.4
Amari Cooper, Cle.114.3740.4514.4
Christian Kirk, Jac.115.4680.3614.4
Brandon Aiyuk, S.F.114.8631.4514.0
Garrett Wilson, NYJ115.4741.1813.9
DJ Moore, Car.113.9621.5513.5
DK Metcalf, Sea.115.5580.3613.5
Zay Jones, Jac.115.0542.3612.9
Chris Olave, N.O.104.7650.2012.4
Jakobi Meyers, N.E.104.348-2.5012.2
Michael Pittman, Ind.115.5463.2712.1

—Ian Allan