Fantasy Upside
It was just another career season for Peyton Manning in ’13 as he set more NFL records, including 5,477 passing yards and 55 TDs. He also added his first rushing TD since ’08. In 659 pass attempts, he tied his career best with 450 completions and was only intercepted 10 times. During the regular season, Peyton passed for over 300 yards in 12 contests and 400-plus four times. Even though Eric Decker took his 87 receptions, nearly 1,300 yards and 11 TDs to the Jets, the Broncos quickly replaced him with Emmanuel Sanders, who should put up similar numbers to what Decker posted last year, and rookie Cody Latimer who could be a real sleeper pick.
Fantasy Downside
The main downside with Peyton is that he is another year older. He is now 38 and entering his third season after his neck surgery. The Broncos running game wasn’t great last season, rushing for an average of just over four yards per carry, but Knowshon Moreno took some pressure off of Manning and the passing game with a 1,000-yard rushing season, as well as contributing with 60 receptions out of the backfield. With Moreno now in Miami, it’ll be mostly up to second-year player Montee Ball to not only help out on the ground, but also with blocking and pass catching. Ball had 20 grabs during his rookie season and is expected to have a lot more in this offense.
Bottom Line
Who cares if he struggles in the playoffs and the Super Bowl, you draft Peyton Manning for what he does during the regular season. He was recently voted NFL Network’s top player and there’s no reason to expect his effectiveness to drop off – yet. With QBs becoming a fantasy scoring machine, Peyton should again be the top player taken at his position and will likely get drafted in the first or early second round. While it’s unimaginable he’ll post the numbers he did in ’13, Manning still has some great weapons and is a relatively safe pick early in drafts.
