Fantasy Football: Peyton Manning Among Starts, Sits For Broncos-Chiefs

The Denver Broncos’ normally high-powered offense struggled out of the gate in Week 1.

Unfortunately for them, things won’t get too much easier in Week 2.

The Broncos travel to Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday night to take on the AFC West rival Kansas City Chiefs in what should be quite the hostile environment. That’s cause for concern for quarterback Peyton Manning, who didn’t inspire much confidence in fantasy owners last Sunday.

Of course, the fantasy football season is very young, and we’re not jumping ship on the Broncos’ offense just yet. But Thursday’s divisional matchup might force you to make some tough calls, including benching a certain commercial-loving quarterback.

With that, let’s get into our starts and sits for the first official edition of “Thursday Night Football.”

STARTS
C.J. Anderson, Running Back, Denver Broncos. Anderson is listed as questionable with ankle and toe injuries, so make sure you monitor his status. But if he’s good to go, the matchup is solid. The Chiefs are susceptible to the run, and Denver likely will try to establish the ground game to save Manning from taking a beating from Kansas City’s pass rush.

Travis Kelce, Tight End, Kansas City Chiefs. Kelce put up monster numbers in Week 1, and while you can’t expect two more touchdowns Thursday, it’s clear he’s quarterback Alex Smith’s favorite target. Unless you own a guy like Rob Gronkowski, Kelce needs to be in your lineup.

SITS
Peyton Manning, Quarterback, Denver Broncos. We’re not giving up on Peyton quite yet — just for this week. Manning faces a tall task on the road against a formidable pass rush and decent secondary, and after his mediocre Week 1 performance, we can’t justify giving him the start here. If you have a solid, low-end QB1 as your backup, give him the nod instead.

Jeremy Maclin, Wide Receiver, Kansas City Chiefs: Maclin got plenty of targets in Week 1, but he still didn’t find the end zone and is dealing with a minor back injury as well. He should see plenty of cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr., making him a WR3 at best in Week 2.

Have a fantasy football question for Darren? Send it to him via Twitter at @darren_hartwell

Thumbnail photo via Chris Humphreys/USA TODAY Sports Images