Over the last two seasons, Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders have been the league’s best receiving tandem, and it’s not even close.
With a combined 393 receptions and 5,462 yards, DT and Sanders outpace the next closest duo (Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate) by 45 receptions and 1,027 yards. That’s dominance, and there’s no reason to think they can’t keep it up in 2016.
All of Broncos Country loves to poke fun at DT and all of his drops. They also love to point out that Denver, under Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler, had one of the worst quarterback situations in all of football — second-worst team passer rating in the NFL, only trailing the Rams.
What everybody forgets is that Demaryius Thomas still hauled in 105 receptions for 1,304 yards. And in case your not a “stats guy,” let me break that down for you: Only five receivers — five! –matched those numbers in 2015.
So, what does that mean?
It means that even in the worst year of DT’s career, a year in which he was plagued by drops and the rapidly deflating arm of Peyton Manning, Demaryius Thomas was still a top-five receiver in the NFL.
And trust me, I love Emmanuel Sanders as much as anyone — he’s one of my favorite Broncos in a long, long time — but he wouldn’t be nearly the same player without DT drawing double teams on the other side of the field.
In terms of fantasy, though, let’s break it down. Here’s the best- and worst-case scenarios:
Best Case: DT and Sanders are great, and everyone knows it
DT and Sanders are already great, but it doesn’t seem like most people know it, which is odd for a team coming off a Super Bowl championship.
Apparently, though, being underrated has become status quo for the Denver Broncos.
Now, I don’t think DT and Sanders will be able to replicate their 2014 numbers — DT and Eric Decker didn’t even match those numbers during Denver’s historic 2013 season — but they can most certainly match their 2015 numbers, and I think the improvement comes in touchdowns.
Last year, the two combined for just 12 touchdowns, eight fewer than they pulled in the year before. If they can split the difference, both wideouts should be back inside the top 10 of fantasy receivers.
Worst Case: More of the same
Let’s just say the combination of Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch is significantly worse than the combination of Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler — not out of the question. Well, in that case, things don’t look great for DT and Sanders.
Still, I have a hard time imagining either receiver sees the floor drop out from under their production, but the anchor that is the quarterback position could drag the duo down towards being a clear second- or third-wide-receiver option in fantasy.
The other worry, of course, is if DT gets in his head once again and can’t secure a reception. If he has another case of the dropsies, there’s the possibility that he lets several hundred yards and a few touchdowns slip through his grasp.