Jaylen Waddle's Chest Injury Leaves Broncos Offense in Limbo Ahead of Chiefs Clash

Running a reverse with a star receiver who already has a bad chest is the kind of galaxy-brain play-calling that looks brilliant on a whiteboard and terrible on an MRI. But that is exactly where the Denver Broncos find themselves this week.

According to Ian Rapoport, Jaylen Waddle aggravated a previous chest injury on a reverse during last week's game. Now, his status for Sunday's massive divisional clash against the Kansas City Chiefs is completely up in the air.

"Ian Rapoport noted that Waddle's availability will be based on how practice goes."

The Broncos cruised to a 30-16 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, but losing Waddle for any amount of time is a brutal tax to pay for a trick play. You do not need a medical degree to know that taking a high-speed hit to an already bruised torso is a bad time.

This leaves bettors and fantasy managers stranded in the worst place in sports: the "we will see how practice goes" waiting room. Player props for the Denver passing attack are going to be frozen or heavily shaded until someone in the building gives a real update on his workload.

The timing could not be worse for Denver. The Chiefs are coming to town fresh off a bizarre 20-3 meltdown against the Seattle Seahawks. Kansas City is going to be angry, and the Broncos need all their firepower to keep pace with a division rival looking to bounce back.

Waddle's availability will ultimately come down to how much contact he can tolerate in practice this week. Until the Friday injury report drops, Denver's offensive ceiling is officially listed as questionable.