Demaryius Thomas, Bennie Fowler's Fantasy Outlook After Emmanuel Sanders' Injury

Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders suffered an ankle injury in the 23-10 Week 6 loss to the New York Giants and was carted to the locker room.Sanders had five catches for 76 yards before exiting. Evan Silva of Rotoworld put it best:ESPN's Mike Clay noted how important Sanders has been for the Broncos offense:The good news for Denver is that it has Demaryius Thomas and Bennie Fowler, and they'll look to keep the aerial attack rolling while Sanders works his way back to 100 percent. They also saw plenty of playing time, as Pro Football Focus pointed out:Thomas has long served as the Broncos' most dynamic receiver, and that shouldn't change with Sanders out. Heading into Sunday's game, Thomas had 18 receptions for 247 yards in four games. Against the Giants, he has racked up 133 yards on 10 catches.It should be noted Thomas suffered a lower leg injury during Sunday's contest and was removed briefly, per James Palmer of NFL Network.Although Denver's offense has lost some of its explosive potential over the past couple of seasons, Thomas continues to wield steady hands and a large catch radius while serving as the team's most dependable deep threat.Those qualities propelled him into the thick of the high-end WR2 conversation before the season started, and an increase in targets without Sanders could bump him into the low-end WR1 realm, provided there are no lingering ill effects from the leg injury.As for Sanders' primary replacement in the starting lineup, Fowler is a rather risky bet to churn out fantasy points on a consistent basis. Heading into Sunday, he has caught 10 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns. Against the Giants, he only mustered three catches for 21 yards on eight targets.The third-year receiver out of Michigan State will likely receive more targets from Broncos QB Trevor Siemian, but it's unclear if he'll be able to take advantage to the point of using him in your lineup.That is especially the case with players outside of the wide receivers such as running back Devontae Booker (four catches for 78 yards) and tight end Jeff Heuerman (24 receiving yards and a touchdown) demonstrating their ability to be involved in the aerial attack alongside Thomas in Sunday's contest.Fowler's small sample size of production and status as a tertiary receiving option behind Thomas and tight end Virgil Green make him nothing more than a quality bench stash in deep leagues with a bit of upside for the time being.
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