Both Denver Broncos fans and fantasy football owners were eager to see which Peyton Manning would show up this season. Would it be the five-time MVP Manning who picks apart defenses with ease or the injured Manning football fans saw toward the end of last season? One week into the NFL season, and the returns point to the latter.
Manning completed 24-of-40 (60 percent) of his passes for just 175 yards and one interception against the Kansas City Chiefs last week. Now, it's possible that we're looking too much into one game and that Manning, arguably the most cerebral player in NFL history, can bounce back. But ESPN NFL Insider KC Joyner isn't so sure.
"13.5 That is the number of fantasy points Peyton Manning has averaged in his past 10 games," Joyner wrote. "ESPN Stats & Information notes that this is not a good trend for a 39-year-old quarterback, as only three of the 12 passers in NFL history with at least 200 attempts in their age 39-or-older seasons averaged more than 12 fantasy points per game. Another negative trend is Manning's 52.6 Total QBR mark during those past 10 games. That is the worst total he has posted in this category in a 10-game span since ESPN began tracking Total QBR in 2006."
Review that Kansas City game, and you see Manning miss on a lot of easy throws. Inaccuracy has never been a problem for Manning throughout his career, but with waning arm strength, it may start to become one. Denver's offensive woes don't all fall on Manning's shoulder, of course. The offensive line, a major question mark heading into this season, allowed four sacks and five QB hits on the day.
"It's never a good idea to sell low, but when taking all of these negative factors into account, it would be sensible for any fantasy owner with Manning, [Demaryius] Thomas or [Emmanuel] Sanders on a roster to strongly consider any reasonable trade offers," Joyner wrote. "The potential trade price for any member of this trio could keep dropping the longer one waits."
