Fantasy Upside
Being teamed with Peyton Manning led to another great season for Demaryius Thomas, as he caught 92 passes for 1,430 yards and scored a career-high 14 times. It was his second-straight 90-plus reception and 1,400 yard campaign. After missing some time during his first two years, Thomas hasn’t missed any contests since Manning arrived during the past two seasons. He was targeted a career-high 143 times in ’13 and his 6’3” frame makes him a great target near the end zone. He posted six 100-yard games, averaged 15.5 yards per grab and caught at least four passes in all but two games last season.
Fantasy Downside
While Demaryius suffered an injury in the Super Bowl that some with the Broncos described as a separated left shoulder, he has fully recovered heading in to 2014. Thomas, Eric Decker and Wes Welker formed a great three-headed monster that helped Denver post the most ever points in NFL history. However, Decker is now with the Jets and has been replaced by Emmanuel Sanders. While Sanders has been impressive in camp, it’ll be interesting to see how the new threesome performs. Also, with so many weapons for Peyton to choose from, Thomas will not be the star every week.
Bottom Line
Thomas has solidified himself as one of the best WRs in the game, especially with Manning at QB. Even with Decker’s departure, Demaryius and Sanders should make for a great tandem. No. 88 will again eclipse the 1,200 yard/10 TD mark and will likely not be available after the first two fantasy rounds.