PAST PRODUCTION
Anthony Miller was unstoppable at the University of Memphis. Breaking out in his sophomore year, he amassed over 3,500 years in three seasons. His best coming in his junior year where he had an absurd 96 catches, 1,462 yards, and 18 touchdowns. Miller was good enough to be drafted in the 2nd round by the Chicago Bears in the 2018 draft. Pegged as a guy who could be a massive star, Miller has been a little bit forgotten in the Bears offense since his arrival. In his rookie season, Miller grabbed 33 receptions for 423 yards and an impressive 7 touchdowns. As a result, he was a popular 2nd-year breakout candidate but he actually wound up finishing about the same for fantasy purposes in his second year. His dynasty outlook was trending in the wrong direction.
Through two seasons he has finished wide receiver 60 and wide receiver 56 respectively. Despite the slow start to his career, Miller has seen his stats increase in all the right ways (with the exception of touchdowns) over his first two seasons. Miller went from 54 targets to 85, from 33 receptions to 52 and from 423 yards to 656. The arrow is pointing in the right direction for Miller’s dynasty profile as he heads into a pivotal third season.
2020 OUTLOOK
The Bears traded for veteran quarterback Nick Foles this offseason to, if nothing else, give Mitchell Trubisky a little competition for his job. If Foles wins the job, that would bode well for Miller’s fantasy prospects as Foles is a slightly better passing quarterback than Trubisky in my eyes. Over the final five weeks of 2019, Miller put together numbers that were good enough to be a low-end WR2. If Miller can get anywhere close to that level of production this year, then he is a draft day steal.
Anthony Miller has shown flashes throughout his first couple years in the league and this should be the season he shows up as a true breakout wide receiver option. Chicago was about the middle of the pack in passing attempts last season with Trubisky at the helm. In a division where they appear to be firmly in the cellar, they’ll likely be playing catchup a lot which should lead to even more passing attempts going Miller’s way.
DYNASTY ANALYSIS
I believe Miller has a very bright future in the NFL. He showed his abilities in college and has already shown flashes in the NFL with a sub-par quarterback. With minimal competition for the number two job in Chicago, Miller is poised to be a very solid option for fantasy owners for the next 3-5 years. On top of that, rumors are that the Bears are likely to re-sign Allen Robinson, and having him as a buffer on the outside means that Miller will have the luxury of going up against many teams #2 cornerbacks. I’m not certain that Foles is good enough to support two elite fantasy wide receivers, but he is certainly good enough to help Miller become a WR3 this season.
Currently, Miller is going as WR55 in start-up dynasty ADP. This is a massive buy-low opportunity for a guy who has finished in that range his first two seasons and is gaining a better quarterback. The year three breakout could be real, and if nothing else, I know he will outperform his first two seasons. Give me Anthony Miller at that value all day as the number two option on what could be a decent fantasy offense.
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Be sure to check out the rest of our “Dynasty Profile” series!
