Week 3 – Emmanuel Sanders vs. Seattle Seahawks
For the second straight game, Peyton Manning got Emmanuel Sanders involved early. Sanders caught a 48-yard pass on the contest’s first play and finished with a team-high eight receptions for 108 yards. While he hasn’t found the end zone yet, Emmanuel has quickly built a strong rapport with Manning. After seeing some time in the slot in the first two contests, Wes Welker returns this week, so Sanders will be mostly used as an outside WR. With Denver’s potent offense, he should be started every week, but has a tough matchup at Seattle on Sunday.
Week 2 – Emmanuel Sanders vs. Kansas City Chiefs
In his Broncos regular season debut, Emmanuel Sanders showed some great speed and athleticism, catching six passes for 77 yards and also running for 11 more yards. The first three passes of the game went to Emmanuel, as he played both the outside and slot position with Wes Welker out. Peyton Manning already has built a good rapport with Sanders and those two will have plenty of connections as the seasons continues. Emmanuel should be in your starting lineup every week.
Week 1 – Emmanuel Sanders vs. Indianapolis Colts
After the suspension to Wes Welker was announced earlier this week, it will be no surprise if Andre Caldwell becomes the Broncos second outside WR opposite Damaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders slides to the slot position. After four seasons in Pittsburgh, Sanders will make his Broncos debut at home on Sunday night. He battled a quad injury for much of the preseason, but was able to shine with two TDs in the third game. Emmanuel is poised to have a big season and should be started in Week 1.
Fantasy Upside
As a Steeler last season, Emmanuel Sanders finished with career highs of 67 receptions, 740 yards and six TDs. Now that he’ll have Peyton Manning throwing to him, look for an increase in those numbers. He has the ability to stretch defenses, averaging 12.6 yards per catch during his four-year career. As the No. 2 WR in Pittsburgh, he saw 112 targets last season, while Eric Decker and Wes Welker combined for 249 looks. He is an excellent fit into OC Adam Gase’s system, being able to play both inside and outside. And, at 5’11” and 180 pounds, Emmanuel is quick and able to avoid tackles, which could be huge in Denver’s screen game. He missed eight games during his first two seasons, but hasn’t missed a contest over the past two.
Downside
Sanders was slowed by a right thigh injury early on in the preseason, but should be fine once the games count. He has not recorded a 100-yard game in his career and has only 11 career TDs in four seasons. With the Steelers last season he averaged a career-low 11 yards per catch.
Bottom Line
Sanders will be able to show what he can do as the No. 2 WR on a team that put up the most points in league history last year. He should register his first 100-yard game and 1,000-yard season and scoring at least eight times isn’t out of question. Emmanuel’s versatility to be able to lineup all over the formation and be able to avoid DBs at the line of scrimmage will be invaluable to the Broncos offense.
