Peyton Manning: Broncos QB Has Great Fantasy Matchup vs. Patriots Pass Defense

Peyton Manning will likely have his best game of the season for your fantasy football team on Sunday when he takes on the horrendous New England Patriots pass defense.

The Patriots currently rank 25th in the NFL against the pass, and have given up an average of 281.5 passing yards per game this season. The team's pass rush has also been largely ineffective throughout the first quarter of the season with just seven sacks.

Manning is going to have plenty of time in the pocket to find the open receiver and pick apart the Patriots defense.

Over the last two weeks, the New England secondary has played awful.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco passed for 381 yards against the Patriots in Week 3, while Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick passed for 350 yards last week.

In those two games, the Patriots allowed 31 and 28 points, respectively.

Since the Patriots defend the run very well, expect Manning to pass more often than usual on Sunday. Broncos running back Willis McGahee has been fantastic through the first four games, but New England has given up just 85.3 rushing yards per game this year.

Running the ball at all-pro defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, and run-stuffing linebacker Brandon Spikes isn't a good idea, so expect Manning to drop back to pass early and often this week.

Manning almost always plays well from a fantasy football perspective against the Patriots. Take a look at his stats from the last four meetings with the Patriots.

Year	Comp/Att	Yds	TD	INT	W/L
2007	16/27	225	1	1	L
2008	21/29	254	2	0	W
2009	28/44	327	4	2	W
2010	38/52	396	4	3	L

Manning is 2-8 all-time on the road versus the Patriots, but only one of those losses has come after the Colts won the Super Bowl in 2006.

So far this season, Manning has eight touchdown passes and just three interceptions. He's just starting to hit his stride in the Broncos passing game with 668 yards passing over the last two games.

The Patriots pass defense is the perfect matchup for Manning to have an incredible performance for your fantasy team. If you have two quality quarterbacks on your team's roster, but only one starting spot, make sure that Manning gets the start.