Courtland Sutton vs. Jerry Jeudy: Who Has a Better Season?

While most pundits point to Tim Patrick's season-ending ACL injury as a reason to debate Courtland Sutton vs. Jerry Jeudy as the Broncos No. 1 wide receiver, I'm hear to tell you the debate was settled long before Patrick hurt himself in preseason practice. At least based on stats.

While I think both Sutton and Jeudy benefit sightly from the increased targets they should receive now, I don't think it changes this debate one bit.

Simply put, Sutton fits the mold of what new Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson likes in a wide receiver more than Jeudy. That's not to say Jeudy isn't going to have a good year. I think he will. But the value lies in Sutton.

Sutton vs. Jeudy Projected Receiving Yards

• Courtland Sutton: OVER/UNDER 900.5 Receiving Yards
• Jerry Jeudy: OVER/UNDER 905.5 Receiving Yards

At 6-4, 215 pounds with decent speed out wide, Sutton fits the physical mold of Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf, which a lot of people are pointing out, but it's actually his downfield prowess that compares favorably for Wilson.

Last year with Wilson as their QB, Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett was 13th in the NFL with an average target distance of 15.4 yards and Metcalf wasn't far behind at 13.1. Well, Sutton was 10th in the NFL in average depth of target at 15.8 while Jeudy averaged 10.5 yards downfield per target.

Clearly Wilson likes throwing the deep ball and that favors Sutton over Jeudy.

Again, this isn't to say Jeudy can't adjust and pressure defenses more downfield. The Broncos offense was previous built for him to be the short-to-intermediate receiver. He should be utilized vertically more often now. But Sutton has more experience in that area, and he has value in the betting market.

Sutton's OVER/UNDER for receiving yards this year is 900.5, with -110 odds on either side of the bet. Jeudy's is 905.5, with the same juice for either the OVER or UNDER.

Jeudy is +4000 to lead the NFL in receiving touchdowns while Sutton is +6000. While I wouldn't bet either to lead the league in TD catches, I do like Sutton's OVER on 900.5 yards more than I like the bet either way for Jeudy.

Now three years removed from his breakthrough sophomore season (72 catches, 1,112 yards, 6 TDs), and now two years removed from tearing his ACL/MCL, Sutton seems primed for another monster season. He showed flashes last year, catching 58 passes on 98 targets for 776 yards. But that was with Teddy Bridgewater as his primary quarterback, a player never known for his arm strength.

With Wilson as his quarterback, Sutton's skillset should be used more regularly and with a higher rate of success. Jeudy should also benefit, and his role in the Broncos offense early in the season will be critical to watch. But Sutton fits Wilson's strengths better from a physical and skillset standpoint and that's why I'll back him for a bigger season than Jeudy.