After a foot injury limited his time in training camp and kept him out of the Denver Broncos’ season opener, rookie wide receiver Demaryius Thomas showed he can be the big, strong playmaking receiver that Brandon Marshall was when he was a Bronco. He also showed why we picked him as a wide receiver to watch for early in the season.

In his first regular-season game, Thomas caught eight passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in the Broncos’ 31-14 win against the Seattle Seahawks. Thomas showed that he can play a starring role in the Broncos offense, and led the team in receptions and receiving yards. Quarterback Kyle Orton had a great day, along with running back Knowshon Moreno and receiver Eddie Royal. Thomas, Moreno, Royal and receiver Brandon Lloyd all went over 50 yards receiving on the day.

Though it’s still very early, and it was only one game, it looks like it’s time to seriously consider picking up Thomas. His injury kept him off the field for a while, so there could be a high chance that he’s available in your league. If he is, and you’re looking for a second or third receiver, Thomas would be a great choice. If he can stay healthy and use his size against smaller defensive backs, he could have a great rookie season. The Broncos did lose an elite wide receiver in Marshall, but in time, Thomas could fill in well for him. If Orton can continue to get his other receivers involved, Thomas should see favorable matchups throughout the year. Moreno leads the rushing attack, and can also contribute as a receiver out of the backfield. Royal has dangerous speed, and is coming off a down year in 2009. He can be a great number two or slot receiver for Orton. Receiver Jabar Gaffney caught 54 passes last year, and looks like another reliable option. Both Royal and Gaffney can be solid as a supporting cast to complement a number one receiver. That’s where Thomas comes in. If he can continue playing like he did against Seattle, he can take control of the Broncos’ number one receiver spot and become Orton’s main target.

If Thomas indeed does become the go-to guy in Denver this year, he has the chance to be one of the premier young wide outs in the game. He’s in a good situation in Denver, with a solid quarterback who doesn’t make too many mistakes, and has a good amount of weapons around him. Keep track of him for another week or two if you’re not convinced, but picking him looks like a good move for your team.

By Zack Cimini

You can bank on Brandon Marshall’s ADP dropping even more after his latest antics during Wednesday’s Broncos practice. Yes Brandon we all know that you deserve more than your set to make this year, but is this really the way to go about it. Before we delve in and rant on Marshall take a look for yourself at what he was doing during Broncos practice drills.

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Drawing attention to yourself this route is absolutely ridiculous. What could the end result possibly be, besides hurting his pockets even more? Then again could he be doing this because of how Jay Cutler got what he wanted after he pouted and was eventually traded?

For those of you that have had your drafts In June and July you’ll all be a part of the best case scenario for Marshall. The best case scenario is that Marshall either wakes up and realizes he’ll have to play his way out of Denver. That he has already showed though with back to back 100 catch seasons, so maybe Marshall will continue the route he is exhibiting. Josh McDaniels is fed up and with Marshall close to free agency anyways maybe they’ll cut their losses and grant him his wish.

This would be the ultimate best case scenario for fantasy owners. Especially for owners that have had their drafts within the last few weeks. Right now Marshall’s ADP according to myfantasyleague.com is early to late fourth round depending on a ten or twelve team draft. That’s probably offset due to him going a lot higher a few months ago. We’d guess he’s probably going in the sixth rounds right now.

The upside to Marshall is what we know he can do. When he is on the field and wants to perform he has showcased being an elite wide receiver. You’d have to put him in the first tier wide receiver class even if Orton was throwing him the ball. The first tier class currently consists of Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, and Calvin Johnson.

We all knew about his off the field antics but now that we’re seeing his selfish attitude on the field, it’s almost comparable to being a GM ready for the NFL draft. The talent may be there but talent is easy to find. We’d pass on Marshall and let some other owner worry about knowing what they’re going to get from him on a week to week basis. He’s not worth the hassle until he shows he can mature and do his duty and obligations.

We’d also expect the Broncos organization to think hard about some sort of discipline to Marshall after his absolute mockery of the Broncos practice.