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Is Marvin Mims Jr. or Devaughn Vele the WR2 for the Broncos? Should you draft Mims or Vele in 2025 fantasy football drafts? Zach's draft analysis and advice.
The Denver Broncos' offense took a huge step forward last year with the emergence of rookie quarterback Bo Nix. Nix proved an excellent fit for Coach Sean Payton's offense and gave Broncos fans plenty of reasons for optimism coming into 2025. This offseason, the team overhauled the running back room and also locked up veteran wide receiver Courtland Sutton with a four-year extension. Sutton is a strong WR1, but there is a massive opportunity for another receiver to step up and be fantasy relevant behind him on the depth chart.
Last year, both Marvin Mims Jr. and Devaughn Vele flashed big-time potential, and each player brings a unique set of skills and upside into 2025 as well. One of the big questions coming into the new season is which one will emerge as the Broncos' second receiver across from Sutton.
Each one of these two young receivers has shown positive signs and breakout potential, but can either one or both of them be reliable enough to be part of your fantasy teams in 2025? Is Mims or Vele the WR2 for the Broncos this upcoming season? Which receiver should fantasy managers be looking to target in 2025 fantasy football drafts? Let's dive in and find out.
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Marvin Mims Jr. Fantasy Football Outlook
Mims has seniority since he's starting his third NFL season compared to Vele, entering his second year in the league. He is the more dynamic of the two receivers and comes loaded with big-play ability.
The Broncos drafted Mims in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft after he was a dynamite deep threat in his years at Oklahoma. The Sooner alumnus posted 2,398 receiving yards in his three seasons with Oklahoma while scoring a total of 20 touchdowns and establishing himself as a dynamic threat as a punt and kick returner as well as a downfield threat as a receiver.
Mims caught just 22 passes for 377 yards and a touchdown in 16 games as a rookie, but he did make the Pro Bowl as a return specialist. Last season, Mims seemed headed towards another quiet season on offense before taking a huge leap midseason.
Through the first nine weeks of the season, Mims had just seven catches for 56 yards and no touchdowns. He only had one game with more than one catch in those nine weeks, but he turned things around with multiple catches in each of his last eight games. In those eight contests, he hauled in 32 of his 37 targets and had six receiving touchdowns. He added 25 rushing yards on 12 carries as well, while often lining up in the backfield.
Mims had his first 100-yard receiving game of his career against the Browns in a wild Week 13 matchup.
NIX. MIMS. 93 YARDS TO THE CRIB.
📺: #CLEvsDEN on ESPN
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/pHzTvYKEoK— NFL (@NFL) December 3, 2024
He continued to be heavily involved in the offense the next few weeks and added another 100-yard performance in Week 17 against the Bengals. He had two huge touchdown catches in his team's eventual overtime loss, but he looked dynamic and explosive, continuing to deliver huge plays.
Marvin Mims Jr. Week 17 Every Target, Catch, Run, Return Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals NFL 2024
Marvin Mims Jr. had 8 Recs on 8 targets for 103 yards and 2 TDs.#Football #fantasyfootball #highlights #Dynasty #Payton #LetsRide #BroncosCountry #Nix #oklahoma #Sooners pic.twitter.com/5qeaMuf9wW
— @NFLStudy (@NFLStudy) December 29, 2024
Even after the loss, the Broncos were in a "win and get in" scenario in Week 18, and Mims scored two more touchdowns to secure their playoff spot. They lost to the Bills in the Wild Card round, and Mims finished with two catches on four targets for 12 yards.
He finished the year with a total of 52 catches for 503 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns. He added 42 yards on 13 carries as well, and often lined up in the backfield in passing situations. His production usually came on "gadget plays" that went for huge gains, as the Broncos' offense got creative in getting him the ball in space.
His fantasy production tends to be a little "boom-or-bust" since he is so big-play reliant, but he showed last season during the second half that he has the potential to be a 1,000-yard receiver if he remains heavily involved and continues to get opportunities.
This will be his third season in the NFL, so he could be poised to take a legendary "third-year leap" and emerge as a regular contributor in Payton's offense. He is not a sure thing, though, since much of his success did come on big plays, and he hasn't been asked to hold up in a hybrid role for a full season.
Devaughn Vele Fantasy Football Outlook
On the other side of this receiver discussion is Vele. Vele is actually four years older than Mims and is already 27, coming into just his second season in the NFL. The Broncos drafted him in the seventh round out of Utah, and the hulking six-foot-five receiver showed a lot of exciting potential in his rookie season.
In his first NFL season, Vele was a little inconsistent, especially early in the year. He had eight catches for 39 yards in Week 1 in his NFL debut, but then he didn't have another target or catch until Week 6. He was dealing with a rib injury for part of that time, but he was also a healthy scratch for several games.
Vele returned in Week 7 and led the team in receiving with 78 receiving yards on four catches against the Chargers. He was active for the rest of the season but had two more games without a catch, including in the team's playoff loss in Buffalo.
While he didn't showcase the big-play threat that Mims brings, he did prove to be a reliable option near the goal line, hauling in three touchdowns.
Devaughn Vele's first career NFL touchdown pic.twitter.com/Q9CkZ16atD
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) November 10, 2024
Vele finished the year with 41 catches in his 13 games, converting 74.5% of his targets into receptions. He had two touchdowns in the last three weeks of the regular season, with multiple catches in each of those three games. In 2025, Vele has come to training camp ready to claim the WR2 job. He bulked up a bit during the offseason, and his route running has been cleaner in camp as well.
Devaughn Vele looks like he’ll be a pillar player at WR alongside Courtland Sutton. Noticeably more muscle mass to him this offseason compared to last year. pic.twitter.com/XI8z0xyX7E
— Cody Roark (@CodyRoarkNFL) June 6, 2025
His strong hands over the middle could make him a regular favorite for Nix and make him especially productive in PPR formats. If he ends up starting across from Sutton, he'll bring a lot of upside, although he'll need to improve his consistency from game to game after last season.
Vele missed the mandatory minicamp this offseason for "personal reasons" and missed a practice with an unknown injury. Still, he has been impressive when on the field and seems to be working as the clear WR2 across from Sutton, with Mims mixing in for three-wide sets and also seeing some time in the backfield.
Who Should You Draft in Fantasy Football?
Based on their current draft position, I'm very high on both of these Broncos receivers. While you may not want to have both on the same roster, I've been getting one or the other as great potential breakouts at a low cost.
Mims is currently being drafted after over 50 other receivers, according to his ADP (average draft position). While he's hard to trust on a weekly basis since he's so reliant on big plays, he makes enough big plays to give him a high ceiling. Especially if he keeps seeing time in the backfield, he should have the opportunity to go off for some big games.
If you can get him as a fill-in for bye weeks, he has the potential to win you the week if you catch him on a week with a home run.
Vele is also a great sleeper option since his ADP is basically off the charts. He's not being drafted in almost all formats right now, but he could emerge as the second or third pass-catching option in a very productive offense. In PPR formats, Vele has a high enough upside to be a late-round snag or someone you scoop up off waivers after moving a player you drafted to IR to open roster space.
Both receivers will have competition from second-year receiver Troy Franklin, rookie Pat Bryant, and veteran Trent Sherfield Sr., and tight end addition Evan Engram is also expected to get plenty of targets as one of Nix's go-to options. However, both Mims and Vele showed enough upside in 2024 to be very excited about in 2025.
The way training camp goes and how the starting offense lines up in preseason will also be important to monitor to see who is set up for more targets. Either one or both of these receivers could emerge as strong fantasy football plays, so look to get them at value in your early fantasy football drafts.
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