It really is hard to imagine that many experts had questions about Peyton Manning heading into the season. It was well understood that he was coming off multiple neck surgeries and wasn't a spring chicken anymore. I guess a lot of the trepidation was about his ability to actually return to form. 

Heck, the San Francisco 49ers flew to North Carolina in order to work Manning out and give him a physical. In the end, it appears that they never even offered him as much as a contract during that process. Imagine where San Francisco would be with Manning leading the charge. But I digress. 

For his part, Manning started out the year slowly. This was to be expected considering that he missed the entire 2011 season and was playing for just his second NFL team in 15 seasons. He had to learn a somewhat new system and find out how to mesh with a wide array of new players on offense. The results were mixed to start the season. Manning threw three touchdowns and three interceptions while compiling a total of just 28 fantasy points in his first two games with Denver in 2012. 

Since then it seems like Manning has turned the corner and become the player we all got accustomed to over his long tenure with the Indinanapolis Colts. In fact, his performance over the course of the last six games rivals some of the best play we saw from the future Hall of Famer in Indy. 

Manning has completed at least 70 percent of his passes and thrown for a minimum of 290 yards in each of his last six games. In the process, he has thrown 16 touchdowns compared to three interceptions. More importantly for fantasy owners, Manning is averaging over 20 fantasy points per outing during that span. 

The veteran is currently on pace to surpass 4,800 yards for the first time in his career. In fact, Manning is currently on pace to throw 37 touchdowns, which would represent his highest single season figure since 2004. That is simply insane considering here he was this time last season....On the sidelines watching a disastrous Colts' season go down the drain quickly. 

What Does This Mean?

At this point it has to be concluded that Manning is a top three fantasy quarterback through the first 10 weeks of the season. In reality, he could easily be the No. 1 overall fantasy player in terms of points when the season concludes. 

Just look at the Broncos remaining schedule

While many might be surprised to see that Kansas City ranks eighth against the pass, that doesn't tell the entire story. It has given up 18 touchdowns compared to six interceptions through nine games. The No. 8 ranking only represents pass yards against, nothing more. The reason why Kansas City isn't giving up a whole lot of yards is because it had not led prior to the first quarter of Monday night's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. As we all know, when a team is ahead by a lot they make the decision to manage the clock and run the ball. This is the situation that Chiefs' opponents have been in all season long. 

Outside of that, Manning has a ridiculously easy remaining schedule. 

Some standard leagues start their playoffs in Week 13 when Denver takes on the worst pass defense in the NFL in the form of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. One' could conclude that owning Manning that particular week would nearly guarantee advancing to the next round of the playoffs. 

If you are lucky enough to have Manning on your roster, there stands a good chance that you will have a tremendous amount of success. All four games leading up to a pointless Week 17 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs are against pass defenses that rank in the bottom 10 of the league. 

That's incredible.