Emmanuel Sanders' Updated 2014 Fantasy Outlook Heading into Week 3

Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders is well on his way to a career season, and it’s time that fantasy football owners take notice.

Sanders already has 185 receiving yards through two games and was targeted nine times in each of those contests. What’s more, he notched his first career 100-yard receiving game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2.

Peyton Manning really does work wonders for wideouts.

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Raul Martinez of Fox 31 Denver and Broncos vice president of public relations Patrick Smyth both took note of Sanders’ early-season production. The statistic that Smyth shared is particularly impressive:

Sanders played four years in Pittsburgh but never topped 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. His career-best campaign came in 2013 when he tallied 730 receiving yards and six touchdown catches. However, he is on pace to crush those yardage numbers in 2014 with Manning throwing him passes and Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas opening up the field for him.

However, as reported by Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com, it is worth pointing out that Wes Welker was formally reinstated Wednesday when the NFL’s new policy on performance-enhancing drugs was put in place. That means the Broncos offense has a new weapon, which could clearly impact Sanders’ fantasy value.

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For his part, Welker seemed unsure if he would play in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks, via Legwold: “That’s a coach’s decision. I’m preparing like I’m going to play.”

Welker finished with 778 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns last year and was one of Manning’s favorite red-zone targets and probably won a number of fantasy games with his quick slants from the slot inside the 10-yard line.

Elsewhere on Denver, Demaryius Thomas is a surefire fantasy football stud who is the No. 1 receiver for the Broncos and for plenty of fantasy teams. Julius Thomas has also emerged as one of the best tight ends in the league and has a clear rapport with Manning, as evidenced by his four touchdown catches in the first two games, including three in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts.

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Sanders’ talent clearly isn’t going to go anywhere just because Welker is on the way back and there are other options, but those 18 combined targets Sanders saw in the first two weeks will likely fall.

A drop in targets is not what fantasy owners want to hear.

Let’s not panic just yet though. The Broncos had four receivers (three wide receivers and Julius Thomas) who tallied at least 778 receiving yards in 2013. Eric Decker had 1,288 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns even with Welker as a featured part of the offense, and he is no longer around.

Sanders is more than capable of filling in the hole that Decker left behind when he went to New York to play with the Jets. Manning has a way of making good players great and great players superstars and will likely do the same for Sanders. In fact, he already has through two weeks with Sanders on pace to put up career-best numbers.

So what about Sanders in Week 3?

The Broncos are playing in Seattle, and the Seahawks defense is fantasy kryptonite for skill players, especially if they are not the top option in an offense. It’s easy to remember what this same group did to Manning and the Broncos offense in the Super Bowl, and Seattle just made Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Green Bay Packers passing attack look pedestrian at best in Week 1.

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Yes, the Seahawks looked vulnerable in Week 2 against Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers, but that was on the road. The Seahawks have given up one or fewer touchdown passes in seven of their last nine games at home and will have a raucous crowd behind them Sunday.

The advice here is to sit Sanders against the stout Seahawks defense. It’s just too difficult to beat Seattle in front of the 12th Man, so you should look elsewhere for wide receiver or flex help in Week 3.

However, with Manning at the helm, fantasy owners should keep Sanders in their lineups after the matchup with Seattle passes. Four pass-catching targets put up impressive fantasy numbers with Manning a year ago, and Denver should be able to replicate that success in 2014.

All those Broncos receivers could actually open Sanders up for more yards if opposing defenses focus in on stopping Demaryius Thomas, Welker and Julius Thomas first. 

If Sanders gets open, Manning will certainly find him. Your fantasy team will be the immediate beneficiary.

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