Against a Stanford pass defense that has been lit up in two games against Hawaii and Miami, Duke may be getting one of its top Transfer Portal additions back at WR at the perfect time.
Charlotte transfer Javen Nicholas, who missed the first two games with an injury, was listed as "probable" on Duke's official availability report released on Wednesday night:
Bit of a good surprise/bad surprise situation on Duke's initial report.
— Conor O'Neill (@ConorONeill_DI) September 17, 2026
DaShawn Stone played 45 snaps against Illinois; don't remember him ever appearing injured.
Javen Nicholas hasn't played yet but is tracking toward his Blue Devils debut against Stanford. pic.twitter.com/jtYXaeisNL
On Duke's official depth chart ahead of Week 1, Nicholas was listed as a co-starter at WR alongside another transfer, Jonah Burton. Nicholas, who began his career at LSU, produced 740 yards and five touchdowns at Charlotte last season and figured to be a major piece of the puzzle for the Duke passing game in 2026.
Charlotte transfer WR Javen Nicholas is probable for Duke vs. Stanford in Week 3
Duke lost a ton of production at WR from the 2025 season, which forced Manny Diaz to hit the Transfer Portal hard for some experience. Cooper Barkate (Miami) and Que'Sean Brown (Virginia Tech) left via the portal, and Sahmir Hagans exhausted his eligibility. That was 2460 yards and 18 touchdowns the Blue Devils were left trying to replace.
Burton, Nicholas, and Penn's Jared Richardson were brought in by Diaz. So far, though, Richardson hasn't recorded a stat in two games, and Nicholas has been out with an injury. Burton is Duke's leading receiver, catching seven passes for 114 yards and a touchdown through two games.
This feels like the week that Diaz would love to get the wide receivers a bit more involved. Outside of Burton, Duke wide receivers have combined for just two additional catches. The bread and butter of this offense is Nate Sheppard and the ground game, but they need a bit more balance in the coming weeks.
With Nicholas returning, and against a defense that San Jose State transfer QB Walker Eget has lit up twice already in his career, this should be the opportunity for Duke to work the ball down the field a bit more.
After an uninspiring debut in Week 1 against Tulane, Eget played significantly better on the road last week against Illinois. He'll look to carry that over this week and take the next step against a Stanford team that has proven to be leaky against the pass.
Getting Nicholas - and Richardson - involved this week will likely be a big part of the offensive game plan for the Blue Devils.
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