Torrey Smith and Eric Decker Owners Should Not Panic
Byron Lambert, Rosterwatch.com

Image via Torrey Smith Twitter

Torrey Smith had a strong start last night against the Broncos. Slipping once early on the soggy field and preventing what otherwise would have almost certainly been a 60 yard touchdown. Then, he completely disappeared for much of the rest of the game. Thankfully, his night garnered some respectability in garbage time.

Our biggest takeaway was that Joe Flacco was under serious pressure all night. He rarely had time to set up and get the ball to Smith. We’re pretty sure that was Denver’s defensive front beasting out- but the Ravens offensive line is now something to watch. Compounding the issue, the Ravens weren’t running Smith on all the crossing routes we saw in the preseason. Those types of routes are huge for Smith’s development this year. It’s far from a guarantee, but one must hope the team commits to that.

Boil it down and Torrey Smith still had 92 yards on 8 targets in what looks like it will be one of the toughest games the Ravens play all year. We expect Smith to continue to being somewhat inconsistent, but indications are he will have a higher floor than ever. He’s also set to abuse the weak matchups on the Ravens upcoming schedule.

Eric Decker had a dreadful night. How could he not get any action in Frankestein’s 7 Touchdown Monster?!?! We hope he has a short memory.

The reality is, Wes Welker and Demaryius Thomas dominated targets as they should. Still, Decker came in tied for 3rd with 7. He averaged 18.5 yards/catch. Being a Peyton Manning WR3 has plenty of upside. We’ve seen that time and time again. Decker dropped a sure touchdown and a few other passes he almost always catches. He could have EASILY had 10+ points in Denver’s 2013 season opener.

For the Denver offense, so much will be matchup-based. There will be weeks where Decker feasts on a matchup Manning loves. Is he going to have 1000+ yards and 13 touchdowns again this season? Probably not. Chances are he’s your 3rd or 4th option at receiver, though. A 900 yard, 9 touchdown season will be just fine.

Looking at the schedule, there are tons of potential matchups to be excited about. Here are the Broncos next 9 games: Giants, Raiders, Eagles, Cowboys, Jaguars, Colts, Redskins, Chargers, Chiefs. You cannot dream it up any better than that. All logic continues to tell us that Eric Decker will be more-than-serviceable on your fantasy roster this season.