Fantasy Footnotes: Manning, Sanders overcome slow start for huge night
Every gameday during the regular season, theScore's fantasy editors recap the most important news and notes from around the league.
Sanders has 3-touchdown night
A scoreless first quarter likely had fantasy footballers concerned on Thursday, but things changed in a hurry.
Peyton Manning threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns on the night, all of which went to Emmanuel Sanders.
Sanders also finished with 120 yards to go along with his three scores. Considering he only had one touchdown on the season coming in, his owners couldn't have seen this performance coming.
Other Notable Fantasy Lines
Ronnie Hillman, RB, Broncos
20 carries for 109 yards, 3 catches for 29 yards
He stepped out of bounds at the three and had another touchdown called back. Otherwise it could have been a huge night.
Demaryius Thomas, WR, Broncos
8 catches for 105 yards
Thomas led the Bronco receivers in targets and it's safe to say that sluggish start to the season is well behind him.
Julius Thomas, TE, Broncos
2 catches for 23 yards
The Broncos turned to the running game in the red zone tonight, to the chagrin of Thomas owners.
Wes Welker, WR, Broncos
2 catches for 5 yards
He only has 19 catches this season. Welker just isn't a priority in this offense right now.
Philip Rivers, QB, Chargers
30-of-41 for 252 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs
A decent night, all things considered. Playing from behind most of the way certainly helped.
Keenan Allen, WR, Chargers
9 catches for 73 yards, 1 TD
Allen finally gets a score in 2014.
Antonio Gates, TE, Chargers
5 catches for 54 yards, 2 TDs
He's not as fast as he once was, but his route running is still superb. It seems like all the preseason talk about Ladarius Green lit a fire under Gates.
Branden Oliver, RB, Chargers
13 carries for 36 yards, 7 catches for 27 yards
A late 23-yard run made his night look better than it was. The Broncos were keying on him all night.
Injury Ward
Malcom Floyd, WR, Chargers
Floyd left the game briefly with what looked like a shoulder injury after an acrobatic catch. He still managed four grabs for 58 yards, but the injury is worth monitoring in the coming days.
Waiver Wire
Juwan Thompson, RB, Broncos
Thompson had a pair of scores and seemed to be the go-to guy in short yardage situations. If Montee Ball is out another week or two, he may be a nice short-term option.