Peyton Manning, Julius Thomas' Instant Fantasy Reaction After Week 15

The Denver Broncos have made an effort to run the ball in recent games, so Peyton Manning hasn't been quite the elite fantasy superstar he was in the first half or so of the 2014 NFL season.

Nevertheless, Manning still had a decent fantasy outing in Denver's 22-10 victory over the San Diego Chargers in Week 15.

Comp./Att.	Yards	TD/INT	Rush Att.	Rush Yds.	Fantasy Points
14/20	233	1/0	3	-3	13

Dynamic tight end Julius Thomas recorded his first catch in almost a month after dealing with a nagging ankle injury (h/t CBS Sports' Jamey Eisenberg), and it went for 30 yards.

Catches	Targets	Yards	TDs	Fantasy Points
1	2	30	0	3

However, Thomas didn't have an impact beyond that reception, as the Broncos elected to run the ball 39 times and attempt just 22 passes.

This stat from NFL.com's Chris Wesseling suggests those play-calling tactics will be more of a blip than a trend:

Manning is still a QB1, and as the race for the AFC's No. 1 seed continues, Denver should lean on him more often to ensure that it wins at Cincinnati and at home against Oakland in the last two games.

That means Thomas should continue to see an increased role.

Points are hard to come by at the tight end position as it is. Even though Manning has multiple weapons at his disposal, Thomas is an elite talent worth starting no matter the matchup or fantasy format, if only for a lack of superior alternatives.