It's tough to believe that it was four years ago that the Indianapolis Colts made the decision they'd rather have Andrew Luck as their quarterback instead of the man who made their franchise, Peyton Manning. Manning is still kicking around with the Denver Broncos, and though his team is winning, it's more or less in spite of him instead of because of him. These two will be matched against each other for fantasy football purposes at BookMaker.eu, and there actually aren't high expectations for either man.
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Luck has always had interception problems, but dating back to last year's AFC Championship Game against the Patriots, he has 14 picks in seven games. This season, of his 13 touchdown passes, 11 came in the second halves of games. That might show some grit and tenacity, but it's also proof enough to us that the only reason he has thrown so many second half touchdowns is because he has stunk so badly in the first half.
The good news for Luck backers is that he has thrown 13 TDs in just six games, thus his average fantasy points per game of 22.8 isn't all that bad.
However, this matchup against the Denver secondary is atrocious. The Broncos just held Aaron Rodgers to 14-of-22 passing for 77 yards last week. Luck might ultimately turn out to be every bit as good as Rodgers, but this year, Rodgers is likely second in the MVP race to Tom Brady, while Luck has one of the worst quarterback ratings in the NFL.
Denver's secondary is holding opponents to a 66.3 quarterback rating, and it's tough to see Luck improving upon that on Sunday.
Manning had a great game against Green Bay, but even after throwing for 340 yards in that game, he's still averaging just 14.3 fantasy points per game by BookMaker's scoring system.
The Colts don’t have a fantastic secondary, allowing 280.0 passing yards per game. That said, it isn't like they've gone against elite level passing games outside of that of the Patriots. Remember that the first four quarterbacks Indianapolis played against were Tyrod Taylor, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Marcus Mariota and Blake Bortles.
That's why Manning is still the right play in this game in spite of the fact that Luck is the logical choice. The Broncos just don't give up passing touchdowns, and that's the only way Luck is going to score enough points in this game to beat Manning as a favorite. Denver has allowed a total of five passing touchdowns in seven games.
Don't discount the possibility of an X-Factor in this game. The Broncos traded for Vernon Davis early this week, and he might slot into the offense right away. Denver's offense has really only had two receiving threats with Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Davis is a former Pro Bowl tight end, and Manning has historically done a great job using his tight ends as a weapon. Owen Daniels just isn't cutting it. Davis could end up being a huge part of Manning's success going forward.
Neither of these quarterbacks are going to put up 20 fantasy points in this NFL game, and with Manning surely showing up as an underdog, even two or three fantasy points could end up being vital.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts will take place Sunday, November 8, 2015, at 4:25 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium. The game will be televised on CBS.
