RADIO
It isn’t every day that fans see a quarterback break the NFL record for career passing yards, and get benched in the same game. Although not much should surprise fantasy owners anymore this season, as we’ve all witnessed injuries spreading like a rash around the league, except for maybe the consistent play of Peyton Manning. Consistently bad, that is.
It was a dream and a nightmare mixed together for Manning against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
After getting intercepted on Denver’s first series, Manning was sacked on the first play of Denver’s second series, fumbling the ball only to be recovered by the running back he made history with on the very next play. Manning followed the sack with a four yard pass to Ronnie Hillman, moving ahead of Brett Favre on the all-time career passing yards list. And as play halted and everyone at Mile High Stadium acknowledged one of the best quarterbacks to ever step on a field, no one expected that this day would be remembered for something else as well.
Three interceptions later, Peyton Manning remained on the sideline and watched Brock Osweiler jog onto the field; a job every backup quarterback has performed perfectly under Manning. This time, Manning stood with uncertainty, wondering when he’d see the field next; as we all wonder now.
This morning the NFL universe received more news regarding Manning. According to NFL.com, Manning has a partially torn plantar fascia in his right foot; an injury more uncomfortable and painful than a full tear, one his brother played through in 2009. Questions now hobble around the fantasy world, not necessarily surrounding Manning, but those on offense beside him.
Now this all depends on how much time Manning misses, but even when healthy, he hasn’t been affective this season. It was probably clear before Manning was benched that he is no longer a QB1 in any league, but what does the insertion of Brock Osweiler as a starter now mean for Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, and the rest of Denver's offense?
Demaryius Thomas, a sure-thing first through third round pick in any draft, has only one touchdown on the year. We’re not treading Eddie Lacy water here, not even close, but Thomas has only been truly affective for lineups in PPR leagues, based on the amount of targets and receptions he accumulates each week. For standard leagues, he’s been average. Although whoever is throwing the ball to Thomas, whether he’s throwing it to himself, he undoubtedly remains a WR1. Despite his lack of touchdowns, Thomas is way too good to be replaced. He's been targeted 103 times through ten weeks, and even though that has only resulted in an abundance of receptions and yards, Thomas will always be a threat to score.
Emmanuel Sanders has found the end zone four times this season, but was recently held without a catch on Sunday, throwing up the unforgivable goose egg in fantasy lineups. It’s tough to predict where the Broncos go from now, but Sanders is as important as Thomas, and it would be unwise to usher him to your bench. If there is one thing to now monitor, it’s how heavily the Broncos rely on Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson, both of whom have worn their own question marks all season. Anderson is still barely a Flex option, while it’s hard to trust Hillman. Hillman has breached the 10-point mark only four times, but could be called upon more now. He continues to out-touch Anderson, and remains an RB2/Flex option in 12-team leagues. Manning or not, Denver’s offense has struggled all season, and in his absence, will need to pick up the slack.
Only time will tell, as it tends to do.
