Peyton Manning, Montee Ball, CJ Anderson's Instant Fantasy Reaction After Week 1

Well, that looked familiar. Legendary quarterback Peyton Manning got the Denver Broncos passing attack off to another fine start in their Week 1 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, while running back Montee Ball turned in a solid performance and prevented understudy C.J. Anderson from getting a significant amount of touches.

Manning completed 22 of 36 passes for 269 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. It wasn't a completely dominant performance, as the Colts nearly completed a brave comeback effort in the second half, but the league's preeminent passer will be a surefire source of fantasy points throughout the season.

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It took a while for the Broncos to get Ball rolling, but he grew into the game and earned kudos—and crucial fantasy points—breaking tackles on the way a strong touchdown run from three yards out in the fourth quarter (which also proved to be the difference for the Broncos in this contest). Ball finished the game with 23 carries for 67 yards to go along with his score.

The touchdown saved Ball from what was an otherwise pedestrian performance. Head coach John Fox saw no reason to stop feeding him the pigskin, even though observers like Bleacher Report's own Matt Miller identified him as a source of the offense' second-half malaise:

The Broncos' vaunted passing attack will virtually guarantee Ball sees seven defenders in the box throughout the season, so there is definitely an opportunity for him to improve. 

He saw plenty of the ball both when the game was close and when it seemed like a foregone conclusion. Ball should end up justifying his fantasy draft rankings as the season moves along.

Anderson's fantasy prospects look fairly dim after Week 1. He finished the game with four carries for 27 yards. Ball wasn't superlative, but he wasn't bad enough for the coaches to turn to Anderson against the Colts. There is still hope for the second-year player out of Cal if Ball can't raise his yards-per-carry average in the coming weeks.

There is also an opportunity to be had for Anderson if he can get involved in the passing game. Ball reeled in just two catches for 16 yards on the night. Considering how much the Broncos will depend on throwing the ball, Anderson would do well to work on his pass-blocking if he wants to take touches away from Ball.

If you're lucky enough to have Manning in your fantasy league, no need to tinker with him. No benching until his bye week, and don't even think about trading him. The only thing that can betray his fantasy output is his own body at this point.