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When does the hype get to the point where a player’s expected production doesn’t match his over-inflated stock price? Are we at that point with Decker now that Manning is in Denver?
The 25 year old Eric Decker is 6’3″ and 220 lbs. Decker didn’t participate in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine before his rookie season due to a foot injury at the end of his senior season, but he has been clocked at 4.45 seconds which is pretty good for his size.
Decker started off hot in ’11, and played really well while Orton was at the helm. But, then came the Tebow show and the transformation of the offense to the running game along with Demaryius Thomas becoming the go-to guy for Timmy. Decker only had 19 targets over the last 5 games with 7 total catches for 85 yards and no TD’s, ouch. Exit Tebow stage left to New York and enter Peyton Manning the most coveted FA of all-time on stage right. Peyton Manning is considered a top-5 QB all-time, this can only be great news for both Decker and Thomas assuming the health of Manning. It also remains to be seen what type of offense Denver will run, but I have to assume that it will be some sort of hybrid offense with a lot of plays from last season while Orton was QB and a lot of Peyton’s favorite plays that he’s been running for years in Indy.
Speaking of health in regards to Peyton, here is a little bit of positive news from the Denver Post. Duke head coach David Cutcliffe, who has been directing workouts with Peyton Manning, says the quarterback is in “great shape, not good shape.”
“He can make all the throws, his release times are perfect,” said Cutcliffe. “His velocity is good. … He could play a game. We’ve done it, we’ve simulated games, and he’s done well. He’s going to do nothing but get stronger and going to play up to his standards.” – Source: Denver Post
As far as future fantasy football potential is concerned, we are all speculating since none of us have seen the full product on the field for the Denver Broncos. Could they run more to keep Manning from taking big hits? Maybe, but more than likely they will be a pass-first team which is what they are built for now. Decker should be the flanker (Z) while DT will be the split end (X). For comparison, Harrison played the Z while Reggie Wayne played the X in Indy. I’ve seen Decker drafted in redraft as early as the 5th round this off-season in some expert mocks we’re involved in. That’s a little too ambitious for my liking, I won’t own him in any leagues if that is the case. I would consider him around the 8th round as there are still too many questions and a lot of mouths to feed with DT, Decker and now Tamme. He could represent good value if you can get him a little later, but I have a feeling he’ll go much earlier due the the hype machine building in Denver right now. As far as Dynasty value, we’ve had some good discussion about both Decker and Manning in our forums. One of our members asked about Decker for the 1.9 rookie pick, check out the links below to see which side the Warehouse sided with.
Topic – Decker for the 1.9?
Peyton Talk
Here’s a fun little tidbit: The 6-3, 217-pound receiver was drafted twice in 2008 and 2009. He was selected as a center fielder by the Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota Twins. but instead, he obviously chose to focus on the gridiron his last two years at U of M.
