Peyton Manning will be 37 years old once the regular season begins on September 5.

While Denver is among the favorites to represent the AFC in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium next February, there is a simple question on the horizon for the future Hall of Fame quarterback from a fantasy perspective.

How much longer can he continue to play at an elite level?

While he is coming off of a tremendous 2012 campaign in his first season as a Bronco, there is a stark truth lurking in the shadows.

Manning hasn’t shown signs of going anywhere in the foreseeable future but we are far closer to the end of his career than the beginning.

Last season, Manning became just the ninth quarterback since 1997 to finish in the top 10 in standard fantasy scoring among quarterbacks.

Manning tossed by 37 touchdown passes and en route to finishing sixth in scoring for quarterbacks.

When projecting how much gas he has left in the tank, an examination of recent history shows that age doesn’t quite equal diminished play…right away.

The chart below shows the 14 occurrences in which a quarterback over 35 finished in the top 10 in quarterback scoring:

Only Steve Young and Rich Gannon managed to lead all quarterbacks in fantasy scoring during their respective seasons.

In addition, there are a few repeat performers on the list. Young, Gannon, and Brett Favre pulled the trick twice. Meanwhile, fantasy football superhero Kurt Warner did it in each of his final three seasons.

Interestingly enough, the statistical dynamo on the list is may be current Broncos Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway.

The Stanford product is on the list just once. However, he finished 12th among quarterbacks in his final season in 1998 despite missing three games.

In fact, despite Elway’s advancing age, he became a fantasy stalwart late in his career. Over his final six seasons, Elway finished in top 10 each season expect for injury-shortened swan song in 1998.

Unfortunately, many of the nine quarterbacks met an untimely demise, which eventually led to their retirement soon after posting big seasons. Only Flutie and Moon managed to hang around for longer than three years following their last big stands.

However, their skills diminished quickly and left the game as a backup.

Elsewhere, injuries played a significant role in the retirement of Young, Gannon, Favre, and Warner.

Only Elway receives a gold star for getting out exactly at the right time. With his body starting to deteriorate, Elway led the Broncos to a second straight Vince Lombardi Trophy and won Super Bowl XXXIII MVP honors.

So, what’s the moral to this story?

If you’re going to take Manning this season…beware.

While chances are he stands to put up top fantasy quarterback numbers again with a bevy of offensive options, the end is nearing.

Sadly, when the end arrives for quarterbacks, it’s likely to be swift, immediate, and unforgiving.

Be prepared.

In other words, make sure you jump off the Titanic and into a life raft before going down with the ship.

Be sure to grab a quality backup if you have Peyton…just in case.