Week 2 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Backing up Kerryon Johson in the season opener against the Cards, C.J. Anderson turned his 11 rushes into 35 yards. both RBs struggled in the tie, with neither having a carry go for more than nine yards. Even though the Colts were able to run all over the Chargers defense last week, Anderson will remain the No. 2 back for the Lions and should remain on your bench.
Week 1 at Arizona Cardinals
After finishing last season with the NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams, C.J. Anderson will begin ’19 as the backup to second-year RB Kerryon Johnson. Counting the playoffs, Anderson closed out last season with three 100-yard games, including 167 yards on 20 carries at Arizona in late December. Johnson will be the featured back, but Anderson will remain in the mix. However, he should not be a part of your starting lineup on Sunday.
Fantasy Upside
After starting last season with the Panthers and receiving only 24 carries in nine games, C.J. Anderson resurrected his career once he signed with the Rams. With Todd Gurley battling a knee injury, Anderson closed out the regular season with back-to-back 100-yard games for L.A. and followed that up with another contest over the century mark in the Divisional Round. At 28, the bruising back has proven he still has something left in the tank and is more than capable of handling over 20 rushing attempts a game.
Fantasy Downside
The Lions already have Kerryon Johnson, who will be the team’s top RB heading into the regular season, relegating Anderson to a backup role. While Anderson got off to a hot start with the Rams, in his final two games with the club, the NFC Championship and Super Bowl, he totaled 23 rushes for just 66 yards and no TDs. His lone 1,000-yard season came in 2017 with Denver.
Bottom Line
While Johnson will be the starter, Coach Matt Patricia has stated he doesn’t want to overwork the second-year player, especially after last year’s knee injury. That means Anderson will definitely be in the mix for playing time and carries, possibly in an RBBC approach, to keep both players healthy and fresh as the season wears on. Expect the veteran to receive around 10-15 touches per game, so he mainly should be drafted as a handcuff to Johnson.
Week 19 vs. Dallas Cowboys
C.J. Anderson rushed 23 times for 132 yards and one touchdown in the Rams’ 48-32 victory in Week 17 versus the 49ers. Anderson filled in admirably for the injured Todd Gurley, who missed two games due to a knee injury. That said, Gurley was removed from the team’s Divisional Round injury report, so Anderson will be relegated to backup duties again on Saturday night when the team hosts the Cowboys. Ranked as our RB16, avoid Anderson in DFS this weekend.
Week 17 vs. San Francisco 49ers
A revitalized C.J. Anderson rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries while also catching one pass for a five-yard loss on three targets in his Rams debut last Sunday versus the Cardinals. With Todd Gurley (knee) out, Anderson broke off gains of 27 and 46 yards and generally looked unstoppable for one afternoon. With Gurley missing practice on Wednesday, the Rams could lean on Anderson again this Sunday when they host the 49ers. If Gurley is out again, Anderson will be a mid-range RB2 and ranks as our RB17 for Week 17. He’s also an intriguing DFS play.
Week 9 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
C.J. Anderson has taken a back seat to Christian McCaffrey all season. His five carries last week against the Ravens were the most work he’s had since Week 1, when he touched the ball seven times for 35 yards. While his matchup this week is very good against a struggling Buccaneers defense, this looks like a passing game that will feature McCaffrey once again. Anderson isn’t a terrible handcuff for McCaffrey owners, but he should remain on waivers in most leagues.
Fantasy Upside
C.J. Anderson quietly finished ninth in the league last season with 1,007 rushing yards. He’s only 27 years old, which should put him right in his prime, and he’ll be replacing Jonathan Stewart in the Panthers offense. Stewart had 198 carries last season, mostly on first and second down, and Anderson seems poised to take those touches. While Stewart averaged only 3.4 yards per carry with his attempts, Anderson has a career average of 4.4 (4.1 last season).
Fantasy Downside
Anderson hasn’t been featured heavily in the passing game. He caught only 28 passes last year, and the Panthers have Christian McCaffrey in the backfield, who should continue to be the primary receiving option out of the backfield. As a result, Anderson offers very little upside in PPR formats. Additionally, Anderson only scored four touchdowns last season, and the most he’s ever scored in a year was eight, back in 2014. On a team with Cam Newton vulturing red zone touches, Anderson’s scoring woes may continue in Carolina.
2018 Bottom Line
Stewart was worth rostering in most standard league formats as a deep bench guy throughout most of last season, and Anderson should get better production on fresher legs in a similar role. He has value as a spot-starter and bye-week fill-in, particularly in standard leagues, but shouldn’t be considered a viable starting option in PPR formats.
Week 17 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
In the loss at Washington last Sunday, C.J. Anderson was the lone Broncos fantasy player worth starting. On 16 rushes, he collected 88 yards and scored a TD and a two-point conversion. In addition, he caught 7 passes for 45 yards. Anderson continues to be consistent over the past month, reaching over 100 total yards in three of the past four weeks. He led the Broncos with 78 rushing yards in the loss to the Chiefs in October and needs just 54 yards to record his first 1,000-yard season.
Week 16 at Washington
In the come-from-behind win over the Colts last Thursday, C.J. Anderson had his best game of the season. He plowed through the Colts defense for 158 yards on a season-high 30 carries. While he hasn’t scored since mid-November, Anderson continues to be the featured back and may again be in for a heavy workload regardless of which QB is under center. He makes for an RB2 play against the No. 28 ranked defense at stopping the run.
Week 15 at Indianapolis Colts
As a team, the Broncos averaged just 2.4 yards per carry last week versus the Jets. Somehow, C.J. Anderson’s average was less than that (2.2 yards per rush) in the win, as he carried the rock 22 times for 48 yards and he caught 2 passes for 25 yards. He nearly scored a TD, something he hasn’t done for three straight weeks now, but lost out on a give to the fullback Andy Janovich. The 22 carries were the most Anderson had seen since Week 2, as he’s definitely been given the ball more since Bill Musgrave took over as offensive coordinator. The Colts are No. 23 at stopping the run, making Anderson again a low-end RB2 option.
