Welker (back) will not return to Sunday's game against the Patriots.

Welker was forced out of Sunday's game after absorbing a blow to his lower back. Prior to his exit from the contest, Welker caught three passes for 31 yards on seven targets.

Welker caught 2-of-2 targets for five yards in Thursday's 35-21 win over the Chargers

Welker is still getting plenty of run in three-wide formations, but Emmanuel Sanders, Demaryius Thomas and (to a less extent) Julius Thomas have been hogging all of the targets. Welker had 13 receptions and 18 targets through two games, but he has just six receptions and six targets over the last three contests. While he should see a bit more work in coming weeks, it increasingly appears that his targets will be much harder to come by than they were last season.

Welker caught all three of his targets for 50 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 42-17 win over the 49ers.

Welker scored a rare (for him) long touchdown from 38 yards out on the record-tying 508th passing score of Peyton Manning's storied career. The future Hall of Famer attempted just 26 passes on the night, and the targets were dominated by Demaryius Thomas (nine) and TE Julius Thomas (six). Welker still has a key role in an elite offense, but it's a bit concerning for owners that he has just four receptions on four targets over the last two games, after recording 13 receptions on 18 targets through his first two appearances of the season.

Welker caught the only ball thrown his way for eight yards Sunday against the Jets.

The Jets did a fairly good job of putting pressure on quarterback Peyton Manning, and with the QB throwing 29 of his 33 passes to Demaryius Thomas (12), Julius Thomas (six), Emmanuel Sanders (six) and Ronnie Hillman (five), there just wasn't much left for Welker. After missing the first two games of the season due to a suspension for violating the league's drug policy, Welker has yet to eclipse 60 receiving yards in a game, nor has he scored a touchdown, a considerable drop after scoring a career-high 10 last season in 13 games. He'll look to finally get into the end zone in Week 7 against the 49ers.

Welker had seven catches on nine targets for 58 yards Sunday against the Cardinals, breaking Rod Smith's record for the most catches in NFL history by an undrafted player, according to the Associated Press.

Welker now had 854 career receptions, putting him five ahead of Smith. After missing the first two games of the season for using amphetamines, Welker has been targeted 18 times in the last two games, though he has yet to score a touchdown, something he did 10 times last season. Nevertheless, he remains a very important piece of the Broncos' passing attack, one that could do some serious damage in Week 6 against the Jets, who have struggled defending the pass this season.

Welker had six catches on nine targets for 60 yards Sunday against the Seahawks.

Welker was making his season-debut after his four-game suspension was reduced following approval of the league's new drug policy. He didn't seem limited at all despite not playing yet this year, as he tied Demaryius Thomas for the second-most targets and was behind only Emmanuel Sanders in catches and yards. He'll try to catch up some more during the Week 4 bye before facing a tough Cardinals defense in Week 5.

Welker was a full participant in practice this week and he will play Sunday against the Seahawks, ESPN.com reports.

Welker was originally suspended for the first four games of the season, but only missed two games after his ban was reduced following approval of the league's revised drug policy. He could be a bit limited given that he hasn't played since suffering a concussion in the team's third preseason game, but he is fully expected to start in the slot, giving quarterback Peyton Manning an important weapon against an elite defense.

Welker (suspension) has received official notification of his reinstatement, according to the Denver Post.

With the NFL and the NFL Players Association having reached an agreement on a revised drug policy on Wednesday, Welker is among the players who will be reinstated by the league. The report adds that Welker is slated to join the Broncos for Wednesday's practice, which would put him on track to suit up Sunday against the Seahawks.

Welker was reinstated from his suspension on Tuesday night, after the NFL officially revised its drug policy, ESPN.com's Ed Werder reports.

Welker will be eligible to return to practice immediately, and presumably, he'll be on the field for the Broncos for Sunday's Super Bowl rematch with the Seahawks. Though his lack of practice time over the last two weeks could be detrimental to his production in Week 3, it shouldn't take long for Welker to reestablish a rapport with Peyton Manning. In fact, the time off might have actually been beneficial for Welker, as it ended up giving him nearly a full month to recover from the third concussion he's sustained over the last calendar year.

Welker is among the players on track to be reinstated, assuming the NFL's revised drug policy is approved, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

With that in mind, Schefter adds that the new policy seems likely to be approved in the next 24 hours. In that event, Welker would be a candidate to suit up against the Seahawks on Sunday.

Welker (suspension) will not play Sunday against the Chiefs, according to the Denver Post.

With no formal agreement in place in advance of Saturday's deadline for 53-man rosters to be set for games played on Sunday, Welker's status is on hold for now, pending further movement toward the league implementing a revised drug policy that would result in the wideout's reinstatement.

Though the NFL Players Association has voted in favor of a revised drug policy that would reportedly result in Welker's reinstatement, per ESPN.com, the agreement is not yet finalized, according to NFL.com.

While the deal hasn't been finalized, a statement released by the NFL Players Association suggested that things continue to move in that direction. "The Board of Player Representatives gave the NFLPA authority to complete new drug policies with the League consistent with detailed term sheets the players reviewed," according to the statement. "We hope to have final agreements, including effective date for players with adjusted discipline, very soon." Welker's potential availability for Sunday's game against the Chiefs thus remains unclear.

With the NFL Players Association having voted to accept the NFL's revised drug policy, Welker is eligible to return from his suspension, according to ESPN.com.

Meanwhile, the Denver Post, notes that the wideout won't be officially cleared to play until the NFL finalizes the agreement, an outcome that is expected on Saturday. Moreover, while Welker could return to the field as soon as Sunday against the Chiefs, it's still possible that the wideout could be held out of the contest, given the considerable practice time he has missed of late.

Welker could see his suspension cut short if the the NFL and NFL Players Association agree to a new drug policy on Friday, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reports.

The vote is far from guaranteed to pass, but if a resolution is reached, it sounds like Welker would be vindicated and able to suit up Sunday against the Chiefs. It sounds as if the agreement specifically addresses amphetamine use -- the classification of drug that Welker tested positive for this offseason. The Broncos made last-minute preparations to clear a spot on their 53-man roster in case Welker's suspension is lifted, suggesting that it's at least a possibility. Little is known about how close the two sides actually are to a deal, however, so don't rush the slot receiver into fantasy lineups just yet. Additionally, the tweet from Rapoport fails to mention how (if at all) the new policy would affect players such as Cleveland's Josh Gordon

The release of wideout Nathan Palmer leaves the Broncos' active roster with 52 players, which would allow for a potential move in the event that Welker's suspension for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs be reduced in the coming days, ESPN.com reports.

The Broncos are thus keeping their options open in the event that negotiations between the NFL and NFL Players Association yield a favorable outcome for Welker, who served the first game of his four-game suspension this past Sunday.

The NFL and the NFL players' union did not reach an agreement that would modify the sport's drug policies and potentially could result in a reduced or overturned suspension for Welker in time to impact his suspension for Week 1, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports.

Welker was suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the season for testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance. The new drug agreement between the NFL and its union would reportedly move amphetamines from a PED violation to a drug of abuse violation and reduce penalities, which could potentially open the door for a reduction in Welker's suspension. The two sides may reach a deal this week, but the odds of Welker serving less than his current four-game suspension would be surprising.

The Washington Post suggests via a source that it is "possible" that Welker's recent suspension could be affected by a potential agreement between the NFL and its players' union to modify the league's drug policies.

Welker was suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the season for testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance. The Post report further suggests that such an agreement would likely need to be in place before Sunday's games in order for any modifications to Welker's suspension to be considered. We'll monitor the situation, but with all the variables in play here, a potential reduction in Welker's suspension would be a surprising outcome.

Welker, who will be suspended for the first four games of the regular season for violating the NFL's policy on performance enhancing substances, will be eligible to return to the Broncos' active roster on Oct. 6, ESPN.com reports.

With the Broncos having a Week 4 bye, Welker's first game action won't come until Week 6, by which time he should be well past the concussion that had previously clouded his Week 1 availability. In the meantime, the Denver Post suggests that the Broncos are expected to fill the void created by Welker's absence with some combination of receivers Andre Caldwell and rookie Cody Latimer, as well as tight end Jacob Tamme, who can be used in the slot.

Despite a report from the Denver Post on Tuesday stating that the Broncos' are preparing as if Welker (suspension) will play Week 1, the suspension has been finalized and will take effect immediately, forcing Welker to miss the first four games of the season, NFL.com's Chris Wesseling reports.

The report from the Post's Mike Klis stated that the Broncos do not expect to be without Welker for the Week 1 matchup against Indianapolis, but as expected, there doesn't seem to be any validity to this stance by the team, as other reporters besides just Wesseling were quick to cite their own reports that shot down any notion that Welker would play Sunday. This is probably for the best, as Welker was still recovering from a concussion and should be able to return closer to full health following his suspension.

Welker (suspension) has not been ruled out for Week 1, at least not by the Broncos, who are moving forward as if he will be able to play against the Colts, the Denver Post's Mike Klis reports.

It's not clear how much validity to place on this report, as the notion that a player could play in a game just days after receiving a four-game suspension from the league is pretty counter-intuitive. The thinking from the team's side is that suspensions are never announced this late in a the week, but considering Welker would still have to pass concussion protocol, it would make more sense to accept the four-game suspension while he may still not be 100 percent healthy. Either way, it's something to monitor throughout the week, but the prevailing logic points to Welker being an incredibly risky guy to bank on in fantasy for Week 1.