Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) warms up prior to an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013, in Denver. (AP Photo/Joe Mahoney)

It was fantasy imitating real life imitating fantasy for Week 1 in my league.

The defending Dereliction League champion Under Construction squared off against BHorns. Just like the reigning Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens had no answer for Peyton Manning, UC was on the wrong end of Manning scoring 85 points by himself in his Week 1 matchup against BHorns.

That is a single-game league record and one that I don’t ever see being surpassed. BHorns took Manning with his first pick at No. 14 in our draft and it has paid off big time, at least for Week 1.

Under Construction’s postgame press conference probably would’ve featured answers like this.

“It is only Week 1.”

“I only have to play Manning’s team once until the playoffs.”

“It is a marathon and not a sprint.”

Not that UC has anything to hang its head about. The defending champs put together a solid 107-point performance in Week 1. But Manning’s 85 enabled his opponent to finish with 175.

Manning was not the only player to explode for a big Week 1. Some other notable performances were: Anquan Boldin, WR, San Francisco (13-208, TD); Eli Manning, QB, N.Y. Giants (450 yards, 4 TDs, 3 INTs); Reggie Bush, RB, Detroit (90 yards rushing, 101 receiving, 77-yard TD); Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver, (5-161, 2 TDs, one going 78 yards).

Basically, if you didn’t have one of those “my guy went off” players, you probably lost. My team put up a respectable 85-point total, but I faced the owner of Boldin and Michael Vick (203 pass, 2 TDs, 54 rush, TD) and Wes Welker (9-67, 2 TDs).

Yeah, the Heroes lost 147-85.

Does that mean I blow up my team? Not quite yet. I like my running backs (Alfred Morris, Matt Forte) and my quarterback (Tom Brady), so I am going to keep it together for at least this second week.

That doesn’t mean there are not attractive options out there on the waiver wire. Some of the players you should be looking to target are:

Julian Edelman, WR, New England: Danny Amendola is already hurt, so Edelman becomes Brady’s most experienced, reliable receiver. He should put up big numbers against the N.Y. Jets. I picked him up in my league.

Leonard Hankerson, WR, Washington: Yes, that was Hankerson who caught two TD passes from Robert Griffin III in the Redskins’ Monday night loss. Mike Shanahan in his press conference said Hankerson should get more targets and opportunities going forward.

Brandon Jacobs, RB, N.Y. Giants: New York just signed him because of David Wilson’s fumbling woes. This guy is a beast on the goal line, so even if he only gives you 25 yards, it will probably come with 2 TDs. Not bad for an RB2.

Dallas Clark, TE, Baltimore: While everyone else runs out to get Julius Thomas from Denver, quietly go and grab the veteran with the Ravens. Clark dropped passes and still finished with seven catches for 87 yards. He also dropped a TD or his point total would’ve been even more.

Terrelle Pryor, QB, Oakland Raiders: When a QB rushes for 112 yards you have to take notice. His passing yards aren’t going to wow you, but owners could do a lot worse if they need a backup.

Other players I think may have big Week 2s that struggled in Week 1:

Running backs: Maurice Jones Drew, Jacksonville, and C.J. Spiller, Buffalo — These two are too dynamic to deliver back-to-back let downs.

Wide Receivers: Calvin Johnson, Detroit, and Cecil Shorts, Jacksonville — Johnson should’ve had a TD, but it was called back on a bogus replay decision. Jacksonville QB Blaine Gabbert is killing Shorts’ value, but Gabbert is out for injury this week. Chad Henne will hopefully realize Shorts is his best receiving weapon and get him the ball.

Chris Parry has been playing fantasy football and baseball since 1996 and has captured several championships in both. His column appears every Thursday on Page 2. For lineup questions or comments, feel free to email to cparry@tylerpaper.com or go to ETFinalScore.com facebook page.