Sep 21, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (10) runs for yards after making a reception against the Seattle Seahawks during the first quarter at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated Denver, 26-20. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
If you have Denver Broncos players in fantasy football, clearly you are a smart person. Also, you’re probably not overly struggling in your league unless the bye week was unkind to you.
The Broncos have a tough fantasy football matchup against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, going up against a team that plays good defense. It’s not going to be as good as the Broncos faced against the Seattle Seahawks, but Arizona knows how to create pressure on the quarterback, as evidenced by 36 QB hurries in three games.
Denver is going to try to exploit the middle of the Cardinals’ defense, clearly the weak point in their armor. The Cardinals’ linebackers haven’t been great this season at either getting pressure on the quarterback or in coverage.
As a matter of fact, if you look at Pro Football Focus, the only guy on the back end of the defense who’s playing well in coverage is Antonio Cromartie. Yes, the guy that the Broncos torched in San Diego and New York…
The Broncos are needing to make a statement with this game. Here are my fantasy football projections for this game and matchups I think they can exploit.
Quarterback – Peyton Manning
Projected stats: 330 yards, 4 TD
Manning is going to get back to beast mode against the Cardinals and their weak pass defense. The Cardinals are allowing just 15 points per game but are 18th in the league in passing yardage allowed. It’s been the opposing team’s inability to effectively run the ball on Calais Campbell and the boys that has proven problematic. I think Peyton Manning can exploit this defense, especially in the intermediate passing game and do it enough to take a couple of free shots down the field for big plays. I see Manning having a huge game on Sunday, obviously.