The Denver Broncos are dealing with another Wes Welker concussion and now fantasy football owners are scrambling a bit in case he is out for a period of time, making names like Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Cody Latimer, Julius Thomas and Andre Caldwell some of the best options for fantasy owners from the Broncos heading into the season and those names should be grabbed in drafts for anyone looking to take Welker or Peyton Manning.
The Broncos should once again have one of the top offenses in the league even if Welker is injured and while Eric Decker is gone as well, the team added Sanders and he should be able to make up for that lost production. Decker was second on the team behind Demaryius Thomas in receptions and now Welker, Sanders and Latimer will be asked to make that up. According to ESPN.com, Welker has been able to recover from the concussions quickly and he is responding well to the NFL protocols and there is a good chance that he will be active for the first game of the season.
Even with that good news coming out, fantasy owners should look at other Broncos receivers and for anyone that took Welker, grabbing either Sanders or Latimer looks like a solid move. Latimer and Sanders have the potential to be two of the best sleepers in the league and Latimer could fit right into that spot if Welker is out at all and that would bump Sanders too. Sanders was signed in the offseason and that could end up being a very wise move, as he has a similar style to Decker and could help make up that production.
Last season Welker had 73 catches for 778 yards and like everyone else, had double digit TD receptions and now that could go down a bit if he has to miss time. Demaryius Thomas is the top wide receiver on this team and he is one of the best picks in all of fantasy football. Thomas has the size and speed to be a dominant receiver and he had an amazing season last year and he has put up some great numbers over the past two seasons.
Thomas has 24 combined touchdowns in each of the past two years and he also had put up very similar stats over the past two seasons. He had 94 and 92 catches with 1,434 and 1,430 yards over each of the last two years, putting up 10 and 14 touchdowns as well. Thomas is going to be productive again and grabbing early is a great idea in fantasy leagues.
Sanders had 67 catches for 740 yards last season with six touchdowns and his size and speed should translate well to the new offense. Cody Latimer had 72 catches for 1,096 yards last season for Indiana in college and now he comes into the NFL looking to make an impact. Teams in deeper fantasy leagues should look for him as a sleeper, while Sanders also is a solid pickup. The Broncos will put up great numbers once again and keeping an eye on Welker and his head injuries will be important this season as he gets older.
