Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders' Instant Fantasy Reaction After Week 5

Denver Broncos wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders showed in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals why they are one of the league's most formidable duos, as both pass-catchers turned in big days for their fantasy owners.

Here's how both receivers fared on Sunday:

Player	Rec	Targets	Yds	TD
Demaryius Thomas	8	16	226	2
Emmanuel Sanders	7	9	101	0

Thomas has been quarterback Peyton Manning's go-to guy since arriving in Denver in 2013. The duo continued to display an incredible level of chemistry in Week 5, as the future Hall of Fame quarterback connected with the receiver, setting a new career record, via ESPN Stats & Info:

That was Thomas' second touchdown of the day. He appeared to be an unstoppable force on Sunday, and the Cardinals defense simply didn't have an answer. In fact, shortly after, Chris Wesseling of Around the NFL noted a penalty that wiped out what would have been Thomas' third score on the day:

Even without that third touchdown, Thomas made Broncos history by the end of the game, via Mike Klis of the Denver Post:

Sunday's performance by Thomas serves as this reminder to fantasy owners: Thomas is an elite wide receiver and should be considered a top-tier WR1 each and every week.

Sanders didn't exactly have as big of a day as his counterpart; however, his solid performance should give his fantasy owners plenty of confidence going forward. Despite Thomas' incredible day, Sanders still garnered enough attention from Manning to make him a viable fantasy play.

On Sunday, Sanders continued to prove he is Manning's No. 2 option—above both Julius Thomas and Wes Welker—despite finding the end zone, and he should be treated as such in the fantasy realm. Consider him a very solid WR2 going forward.