Fantasy Football Dark Horses to Know for Next Season

Let’s start out with Eric Decker, the wide receiver for the Denver Broncos. Decker led the Broncos last season in receptions with 44, receiving yards with 612 and touchdowns with eight. And most of the games Decker played were with Tim Tebow under center—one of the most inaccurate quarterbacks of all time.

Not to mention Denver was a run-oriented team last season running the ball 57 percent of the time and only passing 43 percent including the regular season and postseason.

In fact, 20 of Eric Decker’s 44 catches, 270 of his 612 receiving yards and half of his touchdowns last season were in the first four games of the season with Kyle Orton under center—before Tim Tebow took over in the second half of week five against San Diego going forward.

Now, Denver has rid itself of Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow and won the Peyton Manning sweepstakes where Peyton will run the offense similar to the way he ran the playbook in Indianapolis.

In Peyton’s last full season in 2010 with Indianapolis the offense was pass-heavy 63 percent of the time and only ran 37 percent of the time.

With Peyton’s setback due to injury and leaning a little bit more on the run until he is comfortable, we could be looking at around 55 percent of the offense through the pass and 45 percent for the run with the Broncos.

This can only mean that Eric Decker will achieve over at least 80 catches, 1,000 yards receiving and double-digit touchdowns and easily make the Pro-Bowl as long as Peyton Manning can stay healthy.

You can also count on the other Denver wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to have an even stronger impact as he made Tim Tebow look like a solid quarterback. Both receivers will finish the year in the top 20 fantasy rankings at their position because of the arm of four-time MVP Peyton Manning. 

Reunited and It Feels so Good

Another newly acquired tight end for the Denver Broncos that will achieve fantasy relevance this season will be former Indianapolis Colt Jacob Tamme.

Let’s just get rid of last season statistically for any Colt including Tamme, and let’s relive the glory that Tamme brought to fantasy owners in 2010 when he replaced injured Pro-Bowler Dallas Clark in week eight.

Tamme went on to record 67 receptions, 631 yards receiving and  four touchdowns in just 10 games during the regular season.  

Peyton Manning will only throw to receivers he is comfortable with and trusts. So you can bet that Manning will be throwing a lot Tamme’s way until he gets comfortable with the rest of the new receiving weapons in Denver.

Tamme is also competing with Joel Dreessen and Julius Thomas for the starting tight end position and will have no problem beating out those two as he already has rapport with Peyton Manning. 

Ridley's Revenge

New England Patriots running back Stevan Ridley can now breathe a little easier as he will not have the 11 touchdown vulture BenJarvus Green-Ellis stealing his carries on the goal-line—as Green-Ellis took his talents to Cincinnati.

Those 11 touchdowns have to be split up some way, and Ridley played great down the stretch for the Patriots. The last three weeks of the regular season he averaged a solid 13 carries and nearly 70 yards a game.

Now the Patriots will always have a crowded backfield even with Green-Ellis gone. And Ridley will still be competing with Danny Woodhead and Shane Vereen for touches, but Ridley showed the most promise—in his 87 carries last season, he posted a 5.1 yards per carry average.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick always goes with the hot hand, and my gut feeling is telling me Ridley will emerge from the pack and be the goal-line stud for this team. 

Nothing Better Than New Acquisitions

Like many of you fantasy footballers that drafted Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman last year, I was thinking hey this will be a solid pickup as everyone passed on him, and I just happened to wait to the eighth round.

I can't believe I snatched up a guy that passed for 3,451 yards, threw 25 touchdowns and only six interceptions. I'm thinking I am set at every other position and now, I have a really solid quarterback.

Well sometimes things don't go as planned and Freeman was a big bust last season.

However, fantasy football is all about who you get in the off-season and acquired talented weapons to throw to and protect you are signs that you can only get better.

Tampa Bay finally made a big splash in free-agency and signed two-time Pro-Bowler and former New Orleans Saints guard Carl Nicks who will drastically upgrade this abysmal offensive line.

Freeman will have more time to look down field as a result of Carl Nicks protecting him, which will allow Freeman to find wide open newly acquired wide receiver Vincent Jackson. Jackson will not put up great numbers for the Buccaneers, but he will free up Mike Williams, Arrelious Benn and Kellen Winslow.

Additionally, Freeman has the luxury of handing the ball off to the bruising LeGarrette Blount. So with an improved offensive line and more weapons, Freeman will be able to utilize play-action more effectively with a solid run game and will have time to pick apart defenses.

He will be seen as a borderline No.1/No.2 fantasy quarterback starter. 

Better Together

For years every fantasy football fan would ask why can't the Chicago Bears get quarterback Jay Cutler a decent line and solid receiver. The Bears got the memo, and although they still can't give Jay Cutler enough time in the pocket, they did get him his great receiver and former Denver Broncos teammate Brandon Marshall.

In Cutler's six seasons in the NFL his best statistical year came in 2008 with Brandon Marshall as his go to receiver while they were both Denver Broncos. Cutler finished 2008 with 25 touchdowns compared to 18 interceptions, but he also passed for a career high 4,526 yards while Marshall had a career high 104 catches and 1,265 yards receiving.

The two were meant to be together, and Cutler could be on the brink of a borderline No.1/ No.2 fantasy quarterback.

Fantasy Football is a game of gut feelings. My advice to anyone trying to get an edge on a dark horse this year is to look at the departures, upgrades and how the player finished the last couple games of the season.