Eric

Decker

A photo of Decker on a plane sparked rumors he was visiting the Saints, but those turned out to be false. He was headed somewhere, however, and that somewhere appears to be Oakland. Decker was not great last season in Tennessee, but he would be a better No. 3 option than Seth Roberts.

Decker’s five targets were good for just fifth amongst Broncos’ pass catchers, but he still managed to tally the second most yards. He also made Denver’s biggest play of the night, returning a Shane Lechler punt 90 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. The Broncos’ passing game looked anything but smooth this evening, but will be facing a thin Bengals’ secondary in Week 2. If you’ve been on the fence about taking a flier on the Broncos’ No. 3 receiver in a deeper league, now is the time.

The Denver Post has no further details. Like hamstring injuries, groin ailments can linger and are highly susceptible to setbacks. We’d recommend to pick up Eric Decker, who’s scored three of the Broncos’ first five touchdowns on the season. Royal could return without a role on offense. Decker is a much better option, and Demaryius Thomas (Achilles, hand) could conceivably beat him back to the field. Royal can be dropped in all leagues.

Decker is an excellent bet to “Pipp” Eddie Royal, who is out at least two weeks with a groin strain. Decker is more physical, has better ball skills and can do more after the catch. Kyle Orton showed tremendous trust in the second-year wideout last week, tossing up a couple jump balls his way and targeting him nine times. Decker is well worth a waiver add as the Broncos’ likely starting receiver opposite Brandon Lloyd for the rest of the season.

The good news is that Decker is now a full-time player, and Kyle Orton clearly trusts him. The bad news Sunday was that he ran only possession routes, and Orton missed Decker badly on a second-quarter interception. Decker would’ve had a big gain on the play, but the pass was way overthrown. Decker does look like a potentially consistent contributor in PPR leagues. He plays the slot and at flanker, and now has 12 catches in his last two games.

Yikes. Decker had a chance for a huge play in the fourth quarter, but a scrambling Tim Tebow just barely overthrew him clear of the defense. Still, Decker’s fantasy value is going to take a hit with the quarterback change. Tebow isn’t good at throwing possession-type routes and Decker’s touchdown opportunities will go down as Tebow runs for scores.

Demaryius Thomas (Achillies, pinkie) is also expected back. We know that Brandon Lloyd will continue to be the No. 1 receiver, but the secondary spot currently held by Eric Decker is up in the air. “We’re going to visit all that,” said Broncos VP John Elway. “We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

Prior to spraining his MCL in the Wild Card round, Decker ran a route on 94 percent of Denver’s pass plays, which worked out to 30 routes a game. Consider, however, that the Broncos ran the ball on half of Decker’s snaps. That won’t be the case with Peyton Manning in town. Decker will benefit from the new pass-first offense and should be considered a top-25 fantasy receiver.

Decker believes he would have played had the Broncos advanced to the AFC title game. He “expects to be good to go” for the start of Organized Team Activities. Decker will be Denver’s Z receiver, or flanker, in the new Peyton Manning-led offense, while Demaryius Thomas will be the “X”, or split end. Both players have strong fantasy potential in the revised, pass-first system.

Decker lined up primarily in the slot last year, but it sounds like he’s going to see more action outside in 2012. Decker has run more routes and caught more passes from Manning than any other Broncos receiver over the past three weeks. Manning called him the “veteran” of the receiver group and spoke highly of his game. We sense a breakout.