Robby Anderson

Fantasy Upside

After finishing the 2018 season strong, Robby Anderson was expected to have an excellent contract year in 2019. Instead, the Jets got off to a rough start, highlighted by quarterback Sam Darnold missing time for mono, and Anderson entered free agency on the heels of just 52 catches, 779 yards and five touchdowns. Anderson is a true deep threat however, who should stabilize the outside WR2 spot for the Panthers. He’s been known to explode at times and was better with Darnold at the helm. Once again, he finished the season reasonably strong, averaging 0.75 catches, 11.88 yards and 0.375 more touchdowns per game over the second half of the year compared to the first. If all goes well and Matt Rhule’s offense thrives in his first year as head coach, Anderson could put up viable WR3 numbers, with some quick-strike value.

Fantasy Downside

Anderson won’t climb higher than second on the depth chart behind D.J. Moore and he’ll be jockeying for targets with Curtis Samuel as well. Not to mention, Christian McCaffrey had 142 targets last season and isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has always relied more on efficiency than prolific numbers, so there may not be enough targets to go around in Carolina. Couple that with Anderson’s history of inconsistency and the outlook doesn’t look good for consistent fantasy production. Anderson may be the guy who blows up for the two games you don’t have him in your lineup.

2020 Bottom Line

Anderson is being drafted in the 13th round in 12-team formats, so even if you don’t love his opportunity and even if he ends up being wildly inconsistent, he’s worth grabbing for depth at the position. If you’re looking at him or Samuel however – similar ADP – then Samuel might give you a bit more upside based on his history of finding the end zone. Still, Anderson has been called a breakout threat on more than one occasion and it’s possible Teddy Bridgewater is the best quarterback he’s played with. He’s worth a gamble if you’re grabbing him late and you don’t need to count on him.