Broncos receiver Wes Welker suspended four games by the NFL

It turns out that all the concern about whether Wes Welker would play in Week 1 despite his latest concussion was a waste of time.

Welker won't be playing in Week 1 or any of Denver's first four games, because he has been suspended by the NFL for using amphetamines, ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported. Amphetamines are banned under the league's performance-enhancing drugs policy.At least Welker will have time to get healthy.

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It's a blow to the Broncos offense to lose Welker, a tremendous slot receiver who had 778 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, although they might be able to withstand it because of depth. Either veteran Andre Caldwell or rookie Cody Latimer can fill in, perhaps with Emmanuel Sanders playing more from the slot. It doesn't come at an ideal time, however. The Broncos have perhaps the toughest four-game stretch of any NFL team to start the season, with games against Indianapolis, Kansas City, Seattle and Arizona. All of those teams won at least 10 games last year.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab

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