The Week 3 matchup between the Denver Broncos and the Detroit Lions features a pair of teams that aren't afraid to air the ball out. We've got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.
Fantasy football projections, Week 3: Broncos-Lions featuring Peyton Manning, Emmanuel Sanders and Calvin Johnson
We break down the Week 3 matchup between the Denver Broncos and the Detroit Lions.
Denver Broncos
Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos were lucky to walk away with a win in Kansas City last week. It was a tale of two halves for Manning. In the first half he operated from under center and struggled. In the second half he spent a lot more time in the shotgun formation and brought the Broncos charging back. Despite the fact he had a better second half, the defense is what sealed the deal late in the contest, returning a fumble for a touchdown. Manning will have to put together more of a complete effort to keep his team undefeated after the game in Detroit on Sunday.
Since the Broncos haven't had much of a running game this year, it likely means Manning will be throwing a lot of quick slants to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. That's what he did last week and Sanders benefited. The former Pittsburgh Steeler caught eight passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns against the Chiefs. He's the kind of slot receiver that can make an impact no matter who is throwing the ball. Sanders is an automatic starter in all fantasy leagues this week.
Detroit Lions
Although the Lions sit winless at the present time, it’s not for lack of effort on the part of quarterback Matthew Stafford. He’s been playing through three different injuries to his arm, ribs and chest. Throughout his career he’s been the definition of gutsy. Unfortunately that doesn’t earn anybody fantasy points. The good news is that he did put up points last week thanks to 286 passing yards and two touchdowns. If the Broncos prove to be the Broncos of old on Sunday, it means the game could be a shootout. That bodes well for Stafford and anybody starting him.
It also helps wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Johnson was targeted an impressive 17 times last week and hauled in 10 passes for 83 yards and a touchdown. The Broncos' secondary unit hasn't allowed any touchdowns in the first two weeks of the season so finding the end zone in Week 3 will be a tough task for Megatron. On the other hand, he is Calvin Johnson and there's no way anybody is benching him regardless of how opposing defenses have been doing.
