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Eric Decker = Austin Collie circa 2009-2010?


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Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning has been impressed with WR Eric Decker during offseason workouts and called him the 'veteran' of the receiving core. Manning and the coaching staff are coming up with ways to move Decker around in order to use him in multiple ways this year.

Huddle Up: Listen to this stuff, people. Back in the summer of 2009 Manning praised an unknown receiver named Austin Collie. The kid caught 15 touchdowns in the next 25 games...

 

 

I know it's early, but I'm in a 10 man PPR redraft league that starts 3 WR, so I'm always looking for a possession reciever in the 4-6th rounds. If the Manning and Decker chemistry progresses through pre-season do you guys think he's worth a 4th/5th round pick?

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I've always been of the opinion that no player = any other player & try to judge them based more on their situation and skills rather than trying to relate them to someone else. This especially irks me during NFL draft time when all these players coming out are "the next Peyton Manning" or the next Adrian Peterson."

 

That said, Decker has certainly shown in the past that he has the skills to succeed in a Manning-led offense and IF Manning is anywhere close to his old self then I'd expect nothing less than a decent amount of work coming Decker's way. I'm not so sure that the offensive style of Fox will produce the same aerial assault as there was in Indianapolis, but Decker's certainly worth a grab as a WR 3 with upside.

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I'm sooooo glad I have Decker (and Peyton) in my 16 team dynasty league. I had a few trade offers for Decker prior to last season and before he showed his potential. Admittedly I didn't know much about him then but the sheer volume of trade offers for him made me realize he might be worth holding onto. Glad I did.

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I agree with Rajn in that nobody equals anybody else, basically. But, if you put a gun to my head, and I had to put a label on the Broncos WR's, in terms of who they compare to from Peyton's Indy glory days, I'd say it looks more like this....

 

Harrison = Thomas (not in size or anything, but just in that he's the primary guy). And, I'm talking a young version of Harrison, when he was clearly #1.

 

Wayne = Decker (He's the "1A" to Thomas being #1)

 

Collie/Stokley = Who knows... Could be Caldwell, or maybe even Matt Willis?

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I agree with Rajn in that nobody equals anybody else, basically. But, if you put a gun to my head, and I had to put a label on the Broncos WR's, in terms of who they compare to from Peyton's Indy glory days, I'd say it looks more like this....

 

Harrison = Thomas (not in size or anything, but just in that he's the primary guy). And, I'm talking a young version of Harrison, when he was clearly #1.

 

Wayne = Decker (He's the "1A" to Thomas being #1)

 

Collie/Stokley = Who knows... Could be Caldwell, or maybe even Matt Willis?

 

 

How about Stokley=Stokley?

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The hype machine will be huge and I beleive worth it. I think Decker is a better WR than Thomas and does not have the injury bug Thomas has. I have offered another owner the farm (well, a small farm) for Decker.

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I agree with Rajn in that nobody equals anybody else, basically. But, if you put a gun to my head, and I had to put a label on the Broncos WR's, in terms of who they compare to from Peyton's Indy glory days, I'd say it looks more like this....

 

Harrison = Thomas (not in size or anything, but just in that he's the primary guy). And, I'm talking a young version of Harrison, when he was clearly #1.

 

Wayne = Decker (He's the "1A" to Thomas being #1)

 

Collie/Stokley = Who knows... Could be Caldwell, or maybe even Matt Willis?

 

 

This is about right. Decker was fantastic for about 3-4 games last year with Orton at the helm. I expect even more with Manning. And Thomas is a freak who should also have a fantastic year.

 

As the ff draft approaches, these two will skyrocket up almost everyone's draft board. If you want one, your going to have to draft for one much higher than you think. I would be shocked if either WR were available to be had as a WR3 in any redraft.

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The hype machine will be huge and I beleive worth it. I think Decker is a better WR than Thomas and does not have the injury bug Thomas has. I have offered another owner the farm (well, a small farm) for Decker.

 

Both have had injury issues. Decker was hurt coming out of college and then had the knee injury at the end of last year. Putting all of that aside (let's assume for a second that they can both stay relatively healthy, and have productive careers), I'd say their values are fairly comparable. Two totally different players, but value-wise, not that different, particularly in PPR leagues. Thomas is the more explosive player who, as we saw in the Pittsburgh playoff game, can be a game-changer. He's able to make big plays with his speed.

 

Decker, meanwhile, is a superb athelete in his own right... A three-sport standout in high school (think of him as a poor man's Joe Mauer), Decker has some of the best hands in the NFL. He simply doesn't drop passes, or at least it is very rare that he does. So, like Thomas, he's also able to make big plays, but moreso with his hands than his feet.

 

Again, assuming they can stay healthy (which is a fairly hefty assumption), I like Thomas as the player with more potential, but not by much. In PPR leagues, I think it's even closer, as I think Decker is the more likely of the two to be the "go-to" WR on third down, and therefore get more balls thrown his way.

Edited by Gopher
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The hype machine will be huge and I beleive worth it. I think Decker is a better WR than Thomas and does not have the injury bug Thomas has. I have offered another owner the farm (well, a small farm) for Decker.

 

 

Decker is a good prospect, of course so is Early Doucet. Buyer beware.

 

I see nothing that makes me think he is close to Thomas in ability. Not knocking him but don't see the speed or vertical ability to separate at an elite level. Decker could be really good but not a player to overpay for just because Manning is the guy. Thomas on the other hand could be the next Andre with his skill set.

 

Thomas has rare skills which we see in only a few very elite WR's. No doubt health has been an issue but players with that size and speed can be counted on one hand.

 

He is a player to target today as all the news has been about Decker who in my view is not close to Thomas in raw ability. Manning is going love this guys ability IMO.

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