Week 6 – Demaryius Thomas vs. New York Jets
After a tough first month of the season, Demaryius Thoomas went off last week against the Cardinals. He finished with a franchise-record 226 yards on eight receptions and two TDs. Thomas said he did a lot of extra work during the bye week and it definitely paid off. He was targeted 16 times in the win and should get plenty of looks again on Sunday versus the Jets. Demaryius is a top WR and needs to be started every week.
Week 5 – Demaryius Thomas vs. Arizona Cardinals
After a week off, Demaryius Thomas and the Broncos are back at home to face a good Cardinals defense. Thomas has gotten off to a shaky start in ’14, with way too many dropped passes. In the first three games, Demaryius has been targeted 27 times, but has only 13 receptions for 141 yards and one TD. There was a lot of talk about extending his contract in the offseason and you have to wonder if that’s affecting his play. However, keep on starting Thomas, even against a D that’s yielding just 15 points per contest.
Week 3 – Demaryius Thomas vs. Seattle Seahawks
Demaryius Thomas scored his first TD of the young season in the home victory over the Chiefs last Sunday. D.T. finished with five catches for 62 yards, but Kansas City controlled the clock which helped limit Peyton Manning to just 242 passing yards. The Seahawks defense had a hard time stopping Philip Rivers and the Chargers last week, but are a tougher team to face at home. Thomas is always a must start, however he may see a lot of Richard Sherman on Sunday.
Week 2 – Demaryius Thomas vs. Kansas City Chiefs
In last Sunday’s win over Indianapolis, Demaryius Thomas finished with four grabs for 48 yards. He was targeted a team-high 11 times by Peyton Manning, but it was not one of Demaryius’ better games and he had a couple drops on the evening. Thomas went over the century mark in both wins over Kansas City last season, so look for a rebound performance out of No. 88 at home on Sunday. He's a top option.
Week 1 – Demaryius Thomas vs. Indianapolis Colts
With Wes Welker suspended, look for Emmanuel Sanders and Andre Caldwell to fill in at the slot position, meaning Demaryius Thomas should see plenty of looks in the opener. Demaryius is coming off of a 92-reception, 14 TD season and should once again have a stellar year, as long as Peyton Manning stays healthy. In ’13 at Indy Thomas finished with four grabs, 82 yards and a TD, but it wasn’t enough as the Colts were able to hand the Broncos their first loss. Definitely start him this week and look for him to get off to a good start.
Fantasy Upside
Being teamed with Peyton Manning led to another great season for Demaryius Thomas, as he caught 92 passes for 1,430 yards and scored a career-high 14 times. It was his second-straight 90-plus reception and 1,400 yard campaign. After missing some time during his first two years, Thomas hasn’t missed any contests since Manning arrived during the past two seasons. He was targeted a career-high 143 times in ’13 and his 6’3” frame makes him a great target near the end zone. He posted six 100-yard games, averaged 15.5 yards per grab and caught at least four passes in all but two games last season.
Fantasy Downside
While Demaryius suffered an injury in the Super Bowl that some with the Broncos described as a separated left shoulder, he has fully recovered heading in to 2014. Thomas, Eric Decker and Wes Welker formed a great three-headed monster that helped Denver post the most ever points in NFL history. However, Decker is now with the Jets and has been replaced by Emmanuel Sanders. While Sanders has been impressive in camp, it’ll be interesting to see how the new threesome performs. Also, with so many weapons for Peyton to choose from, Thomas will not be the star every week.
Bottom Line
Thomas has solidified himself as one of the best WRs in the game, especially with Manning at QB. Even with Decker’s departure, Demaryius and Sanders should make for a great tandem. No. 88 will again eclipse the 1,200 yard/10 TD mark and will likely not be available after the first two fantasy rounds.
