Peyton Manning: Why You Must Avoid Broncos QB in Your Fantasy Draft

As fantasy football players from across the globe prepare for the glorious time that is draft day, it's imperative that you have a set strategy before you make the trip to your draft spot or log into your computer.

You must know who to target early, who to target late and what to do in the in-between rounds. The most important thing, though? Knowing who not to draft. One wrong pick (especially in the early rounds) can submarine a whole season.

Who is one of those players who could doom you to sitting out the fantasy playoffs? Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning.

While it's easy to understand the allure of the 36-year-old future Hall of Famer, his value on draft boards this year is more about name value than what he can bring to your team.

For the reasons why that's the case, here's a look at why you should avoid Manning at all costs during your fantasy draft.

The Injury Factor

Everyone in the Broncos organization concedes to the fact Manning isn't fully recovered from the neck surgeries that caused him to miss the 2011 regular season.

And for fantasy owners, that comes as no surprise. Four neck surgeries are understandably tough to come back from, but the regular season is just two weeks away and drafts are happening across the country. This is crunch-time in the fantasy football draft season.

And with a recent report from ESPN's Bill Williamson, it's apparent that too much risk is involved.

Via ESPN:

"

After two preseason games Clayton explained to me that he thinks Manning has improved in the area but that he still has problems when the passes are more than 10 yards. He believes Manning will continue to improve, and more importantly, will have overall success.

"

I'm sorry, but until Manning can make all the throws necessary, this whole situation feels way too Chad Pennington-like.

Denver's Receiving Corps? Not So Great

Though I've spent all preseason singing the praises of Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker, that love was more about Denver's mediocre (at best) receiving corps than anything.

According to Football Outsiders' DYAR (Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement) metric, the Broncos best receiver in 2011 was Demaryius Thomas. His DYAR ranking? Sixty-second in the NFL, just good enough to make the 24-year-old a fringe second receiver.

Decker came in not far behind at 71st.

Granted, the inaccuracies of former Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow are somewhat at fault in those rankings, but not as much as you may think.

And while Joel Dreessen will make a nice safety blanket for Manning at the tight end position, No. 18's weapons pale in comparison to even what he left in Indianapolis.

Even Hall of Fame quarterbacks need someone to throw to.

He's Going Way Too High in Drafts

Drafting a huge name like Manning may make a huge splash in the room on draft night, but he's going way too high to justify the risk.

According to ESPN.com's live draft results, Manning is going as the eighth quarterback taken. That's not bad until you realize Manning's average draft position is 44.6, making him a fourth- or fifth-rounder depending on the size of your league.

Essentially, the Broncos quarterback is the "desperate button" for those owners who missed out on a top-five guy but are still looking to score big.

Don't be that guy.

There are plenty of other options, including these three guys, that will be available later in the draft and are quite frankly better fantasy options.

Winning your league isn't about having the biggest names on paper. It's about finding value where others don't see it and avoiding unnecessary risks.

In your draft, Manning is unlikely to come up as a high-value pick and certainly carries too much risk for a fourth round selection.