Week 6 vs. Chicago Bears
D.J. Moore finally scored his first touchdown of the season last week against the Falcons. He finished the game with four catches on five targets and 93 yards. Moore continues to see steady targets, but has been less productive than Robby Anderson, meaning either the Panthers have two very good wide receivers, or Moore is not performing up to lofty preseason expectations. Probably both.
This week, Moore faces a Bears defense that ranks third in aFPA to opposing wide receivers. Moore gets enough work to overcome a bad matchup, but owners should consider him more along the lines of a middle-to-low-end WR2, rather than a fringe WR1, where he usually ranks.
Week 5 at Atlanta Falcons
D.J. Moore still doesn’t have a touchdown through four games, and he has just six catches over his past two outings combined. Last week, he had four catches for 49 yards off six targets. Robby Anderson had 11 targets and is lapping him in production so far this young season.
The Falcons shockingly are second in the league in aFPA to opposing wide receivers, largely because tight ends and running backs have done so much damage to them in the passing game. Still, this should be a decent matchup for Moore. No one has allowed more overall passing touchdowns than Atlanta. If Moore can’t capitalize on this outing, it may be time to consider him as a matchup-dependent WR2, instead of a lock for a weekly starting gig.
Week 4 vs. Arizona Cardinals
D.J. Moore caught just two of his four targets last week against the Chargers for 65 yards. Moore continues to struggle finding the end zone, as he’s yet to score this season, but he does have 26 targets through three games. He and Robby Anderson are starting to look like WR1 and WR1a on this roster though, cooling off Moore’s value. Still, his targets are encouraging and he should still be a viable starter each week.
This week, Moore faces a Cardinals’ defense that ranks 10th in aFPA to opposing wide receivers, though they did just allow a touchdown to Kenny Golladay last week. The Cardinals really haven’t faced a strong crop of receivers so far this year, and the two they did – Golladay and Terry McLaurin – both scored against them. Expect Moore to be heavily targeted this week, and he should be a solid WR2 in all leagues.
Week 3 at Los Angeles Chargers
D.J. Moore had a nice game against the Buccaneers last week, catching eight balls for 120 yards. He didn’t find the end zone, which has always been an issue with him as a fantasy option, but he was targeted a team-high 13 times and seems to have the trust of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
This week, Moore faces a Chargers defense that gave up a long touchdown to Tyreek Hill last week, but has otherwise held opposing wide receivers in check. Moore is worth starting regardless of the matchup based on his talent and target share, but temper expectations against what looks like a pretty good defense.
Week 2 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
D.J. Moore was held to just 54 yards against the Raiders last week, but he led the team in targets with nine and the Panthers’ passing game looked solid under new head coach Matt Rhule and new quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Moore is too talented to take a back seat to Robby Anderson for long, and his team-high in targets indicates an effort to get him heavily involved.
This week, Moore faces a Buccaneers defense that has been solid dating back to last year, although they did give up 27 points to the Saints offense in Week 1. However, they held Saints wide receivers to just eight catches and 53 combined yards. Temper expectations a bit for Moore, but with his target share and talent, he’s still worth considering as a WR2 option.
Week 1 vs. Las Vegas Raiders
D.J. Moore is projected to have a breakout season this year, but the truth is he’s been broken out. He had a productive rookie season with 788 yards and then really came into his own last year with 87 catches and 1,175 yards. The problem with Moore is he has just six touchdowns over his first two seasons. He has some risk going into the year with a new offense and a new quarterback, but there’s very little reason to suspect Teddy Bridgewater won’t represent a significant upgrade over Kyle Allen last season. If Moore can find the end zone, he’ll catapult into the upper-echelon of wide receivers this season.
He gets a great start to the year, facing the Raiders, who ranked 26th in aFPA to opposing wide receivers last season and will be starting a rookie at corner in Damon Arnette. Moore should eat in this matchup and it’s a best-case scenario for the first game of the year. Fantasy owners should start him in all formats as a borderline WR1.
Fantasy Upside
D.J. Moore had a sort of breakout year in his sophomore season, putting up 1,175 yards on 87 receptions despite catching passes from Kyle Allen for the bulk of the season. Gone is Allen, and in comes Teddy Bridgewater, who should provide an upgrade, at least in efficiency. Moore’s ability to succeed with bad quarterback play dates back to his college days at Maryland, and it’s a testament to his talent. There’s reason to suspect he hasn’t shown just how good he can be with consistent play from under center.
Fantasy Downside
At some point, Moore is going to have to find the end zone if he’s going to continue to be considered a breakout candidate and a borderline WR1. He had just four touchdowns last season, the lowest among players finishing in the top-14 in receiving yards. He had only two during his rookie season as well. His teammate, Curtis Samuel, has scored 14 during that span, on 41 fewer touches. There are big expectations for Moore entering his third season, but he’ll need to find the end zone with more frequency if he’s going to enter into elite territory at his position.
2020 Bottom Line
Moore was ninth in yards and 15th in receptions last season, which are great numbers, but he carries risk at his current ADP. Being drafted in the late-third round of 12-team leagues, fantasy owners are expecting him to be the WR1 or WR2 for their rosters. Maybe Moore hits the numbers needed to warrant that kind of status, but we currently have him ranked about five receivers lower than where he’s being drafted, making him difficult to justify from a value perspective.
Week 17 vs. New Orleans Saints
D.J. Moore suffered a concussion last week against the Colts. Even if he clears protocol and can play in the season finale, it’s hard to trust him with terrible quarterback play and coming off an injury. If he starts, he should get targets, so there’s upside there. And we have him ranked as a WR2 option if he does play. However, if you have a safer and healthier option available to you, you should look elsewhere. There’s too much uncertainty with his injury status to trust him during championship week.
Week 16 at Indianapolis Colts
D.J. Moore had his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season last week, catching eight balls for 113 yards in a loss against the Seahawks. Moore now has 1,174 yards, third in the league, and he’s tied for sixth with 86 receptions. His consistent targets give him a high floor each week and he seems to be getting better as the season progresses.
The Colts rank 24th in aFPA to the wide receiver position this year, so there’s some upside for Moore. The Panthers are starting Will Grier at quarterback for his first NFL start, so there’s some risk associated with him as well. Moore has shown he’s talented enough to produce with questionable quarterback play, however, so he should still be considered a fringe WR1 option in all formats in a good matchup.
Week 15 vs. Seattle Seahawks
D.J. Moore had another decent enough outing against the Falcons last week, catching four balls for 81 yards as the Panthers struggled offensively throughout the game. Moore eclipsed 1,000 yards last week on the season in just his second year, showing he has the potential to be a long-term WR1 for a team that may be heading into a year of transition following the firing of Head Coach Ron Rivera.
Moore should be active this week against the Seahawks, who rank 20th in aFPA to opposing wide receivers this year. Moore has averaged 9.3 targets per game this season, and if that continues against Seattle, he should have a high floor in all league formats. We have him ranked as a fringe WR1 this week. Start him.
