Peyton Manning supplanting Tim Tebow as the Broncos' starting quarterback is the type of story that is made for Twitter.

The jokes. The arguments. The nastiness.

It's all there.

Manning over Tebow is also very interesting from a fantasy perspective, as the QB who, prior to missing all of last season with the Colts, had never thrown for fewer than 3,739 yards and 26 touchdowns in a season is taking over for a QB who was frequently ripped by scouts and analysts, yet was a sneaky-good play in fantasy because of his rushing ability.

Depending on where Tebow lands in a trade, both could be fantasy options in 2012, but it's Manning who will be one of the most intriguing storylines of the season.

From 2006 to 2010, Eli's older, less-clutch brother averaged 4,328 yards and 31 touchdown passes per season.

Coming off four neck surgeries, how much faith will you have that Manning will be able to come anything close to those figures this season?

Until we see how Manning performs in the preseason and read the reports from Denver's training camp, we obviously will have no idea.

Just for fun, let's guess that Manning will be about 75 to 80 percent as good as the old Manning -- the one who had Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Pierce Garcon and Austin Collie as options. In Denver, he'll have Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker and maybe Clark, should the tight end sign with the Broncos, as many expect.

Is 80 percent of the old Peyton better than the likes of Eli Manning, Michael Vick, Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Ryan? For fantasy purposes, maybe.

That would put Manning in the Nos. 8 to 12 range at QB -- a low-end starter in a 10- or 12-team league.

There are three tiers at the top of the fantasy QB ranks. The first has Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Cam Newton, Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford. The second has Tony Romo, Philip Rivers (assuming San Diego gives him enough weapons to make up for the loss of Vincent Jackson) and possibly the Manning brothers. The third has Vick, Roethlisberger and Ryan.

Manning, even at 80 percent, makes a much more defined impact on Denver's top two receivers -- Thomas and Decker.

With Peyton at QB, both should be fantasy starters in 2012.

Decker was the Bronco most hurt by Tebow's rise to the starting role. The second-year receiver had 45 receptions and eight TDs on the season, but he caught seven passes for 85 yards and zero TDs in the Broncos' last five regular-season games.

Thomas, meanwhile, was fantastic during the same stretch in which Decker disappeared. Thomas had 25 receptions for 448 yards and three TDs in the last five regular-season games, and had 10 catches for 297 yards and a touchdown -- that memorable 80-yard overtime score against the Steelers in the playoffs, a game in which Tebow almost single-handedly blew up Twitter -- in Denver's two postseason games.

If we're assuming Manning will be a productive fantasy QB, we'd have to believe Thomas will be a No. 2 fantasy receiver and Decker a decent No. 3 -- especially in point-per-reception formats in which he could fill the role of the pre-injury Collie of 2010 or 2004 Brandon Stokley.

If you have been starting the Ravens' Anquan Boldin, you probably weren't pleased with Thursday's news that the wide receiver will miss the rest of the regular season following knee surgery.

If you look at Boldin's numbers, though, you'll realize it's not as bad as it seems.

In his last six games, Boldin has a combined 16 catches for 260 yards and a touchdown. He hasn't scored a TD in his last four contests, and he has reached the end zone three times all year.

Still feel lousy? OK, how about these four replacement options if you're in a 10- or 12-team league? The ownership percentages are for ESPN standard formats, and all four players are available in more than 60 percent of the leagues.

1. Demaryius Thomas, Broncos (owned in 39.4 percent of the ESPN leagues): Tim Tebow's favorite target (lately, that actually hasn't been a bad thing) has seven receptions in each of his last two contests. In his last three games, Thomas has 18 catches for 338 yards and three TDs. Saturday's opponent, Buffalo, ranks 16th against the pass (230 yards per game) and has given up 24 TDs through the air.

2. Nate Burleson, Lions (27.0 percent): He had seven receptions for 81 yards and a score last week at Oakland, and has had at least five receptions in five of his last six contests. In the six-game span, Burleson has 35 catches. Saturday, the Lions will play host to San Diego, which ranks sixth against the pass but has allowed 24 TD tosses.

3. Darrius Heyward-Bey, Raiders (32.3): He had eight receptions for 155 yards and a TD last week against the Lions and has 13 catches for 233 yards in his last two games. This weekend, Heyward-Bey and the Raiders will face the Chiefs, the league's No. 9 pass defense at 210 yards per game (22 TD tosses allowed).

4. Greg Little, Browns (9.3): He had five receptions for 131 yards and a score last week and would be ranked higher if it wasn't for Saturday's opponent. The Ravens are fifth in passing yards allowed per contest, and they have given up only 10 TD passes -- three fewer than the next-stingiest team (the Jets).

This week's batch of waiver-wire candidates is the weakest of the season, so we will present a few reminders before we unveil the highly anticipated top five.

-- Bengals running back Cedric Benson will serve his one-game suspension this week, leaving Bernard Scott as the featured back. Don't expect Scott to have a huge game Sunday at Seattle, which is allowing only 3.2 yards per carry, but if you need a one-game replacement because of bye weeks, Scott is a decent option as a low-end No. 2 back or upper-level flex play.

-- We wrote about DeMarco Murray extensively on Monday, but he entered this week available in more than 64 percent of the leagues on ESPN.com, so he has to be mentioned in this space. Murray is a no-doubt-about-it choice as the top waiver-wire candidate if he's still available in your league.

-- We broke down the value of Seahawks running back Maurice Morris here, and mentioned him again here.

On to this week's waiver-wire selections. A quick reminder: We choose players who are available in more than half of the leagues on ESPN.com (this week's group is available in more than 64 percent of the ESPN formats).

1. Steve Breaston, WR, Chiefs (owned in 35.4 percent of the ESPN leagues): Breaston has 13 receptions for 205 yards and two touchdowns in his last three games, a span in which the Chiefs are 3-0 and averaging 26 points per contest. This week's matchup against the Chargers (No. 3 vs. the pass) isn't great, but Kansas City will face Miami (No. 21 vs. the pass), Denver (No. 19) and New England (No. 32) in Weeks 9, 10 and 11.

2. Demaryius Thomas, WR, Broncos (owned in 2.7 percent of the ESPN leagues): He made his season debut last week at Miami (aka The Game That Gave ESPN Another Reason To Debate Tebow) and had three catches for 27 yards and a TD. Thomas, a first-round pick by the Broncos in 2010, received a team-high 10 targets last week, and the trade of Brandon Lloyd to St. Louis should make Thomas Denver's second-best fantasy option at receiver (behind Eric Decker). I would consider Thomas a No. 4 or 5 receiver in deeper leagues.

3. Delone Carter, RB, Colts (16.9 percent): He is Indy's leading rusher at 259 yards, and last week was the Colts' only bright spot against the Saints (10 carries for 89 yards and a score). With Joseph Addai battling a hamstring injury, Carter -- a rookie fourth-round pick -- has received 36 carries the last three games. Even if Addai is forced to sit this week, Carter likely will share carries with Donald Brown (nine rushes for 47 yards last week), but he seems to have emerged as the Colts' top backfield option. If Addai is out, Carter is a decent flex play Sunday at Tennessee, which ranks 24th against the run.

4. Roy Helu, RB, Redskins (15.3 percent): Mike Shanahan warning! Mike Shanahan warning! As we wrote Monday, who knows what the Redskins will do now that Tim Hightower is out for the season? Ryan Torain would seem to be next in line, but Helu, a rookie fourth-round pick, has value strictly because of the possibility he could earn the featured role at some point this season. Helu has 27 carries for 131 yards this season (4.9), but he has only three rushes for 5 yards in Washington's last two games. I would rather avoid both Torain and Helu until their roles are more clearly defined, but Helu can be a Week 8 desperation play if you base it strictly on the Redskins' matchup (the Bills own the league's third-worst run defense and are giving up 5.1 yards per carry).

5. Heath Miller, TE, Steelers (14.0 percent): Miller has four receptions in each of his last two games, and he has a TD in two of his last three. He caught four passes for 59 yards and a score last week at Arizona, and Sunday the Steelers will play host to the Patriots and their league-worst pass defense (322 yards per game allowed). Miller should be considered a top-10 tight end this week.

Past waiver-wire picks who remain undervalued: DeMarco Murray, RB, Cowboys (owned in 34.6 percent of the ESPN leagues); Bernard Scott, RB, Bengals (4.0 percent); Maurice Morris, RB, Lions (11.9); Greg Little, WR, Browns (9.0); Jerome Simpson, WR, Bengals (33.8); David Nelson, WR, Bills (33.2); Jabar Gaffney, WR, Redskins (6.6); Jermaine Gresham, TE, Bengals (30.6).

The Brandon Lloyd trade is rare in two ways.

1. It's an in-season NFL deal involving a decent name. (For some reason, marquee NFL trades are more rare than positive news from the NBA labor talks.)

2. The trade could be a good thing for all fantasy players involved.

And we all know No. 2 is most important.

Lloyd, who was dealt by the Broncos to the Rams on Monday, had 77 receptions for 1,448 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. The totals obliterated his previous career bests of 48 catches, 733 yards and six TDs.

This season, he has 19 catches for 283 yards and zero TDs in four games, and the rise of Tim Tebow to starting quarterback wasn't going to help Lloyd's fantasy value. In the lone game in which Tebow played a significant role this season, Lloyd had one reception for 20 yards after catching 18 passes in his first three games of 2011.

Now he's in St. Louis, where he should immediately become the No. 1 receiver.

The only problem: Rams quarterback Sam Bradford has a high ankle sprain. If he is forced to miss time, St. Louis will turn to 34-year-old A.J. Feeley, whose five passing attempts this season are his first since 2007.

If you own Lloyd, the hope should be Bradford misses no more than a game, and the pair get quickly acclimated from that point forward.

The Rams have only two other wideouts of note, and neither should be considered No. 3 receivers in fantasy.

Second-year receiver Danario Alexander has 14 catches for 287 yards and a TD in four games, and third-year wideout Brandon Gibson has 17 receptions for 214 yards and a score in five contests. Alexander is the better of the two, but is best suited to be a fantasy reserve.

In Denver, meanwhile, Eric Decker could be Tebow's No. 1 target. The second-year receiver has 22 receptions for 266 yards and four TDs in five games.

Another name to remember is second-year receiver Demaryius Thomas, who is expected to make his season debut Sunday at Miami.

Thomas was Denver's first-round pick, No. 22 overall, in 2010, but started this season on the sideline because of a torn Achilles.

With Eddie Royal out of the lineup since Week 2 because of a groin injury, coupled with the fact he's been a disappointment since his 91-catch rookie season of 2008, Thomas should be a starter in the next two or three weeks.

The wild card in all this, of course, is Tebow, whose value we discussed recently.

Will he prove to be a decent NFL quarterback? Will he run first and pass second at the first sign of trouble?

That remains to be seen.

For Lloyd, a chance of scenery is a good thing.

For Decker and Thomas, the 2010 Pro Bowl selection's absence might be even better.

In fewer than seven quarters, Michael Vick has thrown for 459 yards and three touchdowns, rushed for 140 yards and averaged 7.8 yards per carry.

It would seem he's a fantasy starter for the first time in four years, but Kevin Kolb is ready to return from a concussion, so Vick will reassume his role as Wildcat threat and backup quarterback for the Eagles.

If you have Kolb and wisely acquired Vick on the waiver wire last week, the choice is simple: Play Kolb on Sunday against Jacksonville, which ranks 29th against the pass and is allowing 300 yards passing and two TDs through the air per game.

If Kolb is your backup, I'd leave him as such, unless you have a lower-echelon starter with a poor matchup -- say Matt Ryan at the Saints in Week 3. In that case, I'd take the chance that Kolb is as good as Andy Reid believes.

In any case, don't drop Vick unless you really need the roster spot. He could be a factor in the coming months.

-- Jason Snelling, who carried 24 times for 129 yards and two scores, and caught five passes for 57 yards and a TD on Sunday, likely vaulted to the top of the waiver-wire wish list in Week 3. Michael Turner left with a groin injury and backup Jerious Norwood exited because of a knee ailment, leaving Snelling as Atlanta's featured back.

Falcons coach Mike Smith said Monday that Turner was cleared to re-enter the Week 2 game, but durability is certainly an issue after the first-round fantasy pick missed five games last year and failed to rush for 900 yards.

If Turner is out this week, Snelling (who ran for 613 yards and four scores, and caught 30 passes for 259 yards and one TD last season) is a must-play against the Saints.

-- That sound you heard was every fantasy owner who has Tim Hightower urging Beanie Wells to take his time coming back from a knee injury.

-- Broncos receiver Eddie Royal, who has 13 catches for 163 yards and a TD in two games, should have regained our trust. Start him.

-- I wouldn't make the same move with Broncos rookie Demaryius Thomas, who had eight catches for 97 yards and a TD last week, but was shut out in Week 1.

-- Welcome back, Mike Sims-Walker.

-- Kurt Warner, are you sure about this whole retirement thing?

-- I believe in Rams receiver Mark Clayton.

-- I don't believe in any Patriots running back. Same goes for the Cowboys' backfield.

-- Stock up: Chiefs rookie tight end Tony Moeaki (although I would only start him in very deep leagues), Pats rookie tight end Aaron Hernandez (see Moeaki), Jets tight end Dustin Keller (I'd put him a level above the two rookies) and Jaguars tight end Marcedes Lewis (see Keller).

-- Stock down: Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (one TD and five interceptions), Eagles tight end Brent Celek (five catches for 59 yards; is he waiting for Kolb?), Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez (four catches for 54 yards) and Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald (post-Warner).

-- Start 'em: Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton (602 yards, three TDs, one pick), Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw (he's clearly the featured back, surpassing Brandon Jacobs) and Raiders running back Darren McFadden (303 total yards).

-- Sit 'em: Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe (five catches for 58 yards), Steelers receiver Mike Wallace (until Ben Roethlisberger returns), Colts receiver Pierre Garcon (two catches for 54 yards). You, too, Brett Favre.

-- Drop 'em: Ravens receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh (one catch for 27 yards in his first two games with Baltimore), Browns receiver Mohamed Massaquoi (three catches for 55 yards) and Giants running back Brandon Jacobs.

-- Michael Crabtree, our patience is running as low as that of Vernon Davis and Mike Singletary.