Robby Anderson to the Panthers

This article will be a quick stock up/stock down reactions piece for the dynasty value of everyone on the Panthers after they signed Robby Anderson. I’ll run through each of the fantasy-relevant players, starting with Anderson himself and them moving on to how his arrival affects everyone else.

Robby Anderson

Anderson signed a 2-year, $20 million contract with the Panthers in free agency. The deal calls for $12 million in guaranteed money. Based on this contract, Anderson will slide in as the #2 wide receiver on the depth chart, behind D.J. Moore but ahead of Curtis Samuel. Here is a snapshot of Anderson’s career up until this point.

After having a decent season as an undrafted rookie in 2016, Anderson entirely broke out in 2017, finishing as a WR2, even in PPR formats. Anderson is a deep-threat receiver, so that finish was particularly impressive. However, after 2017, Anderson’s career took a downturn. In both 2018 and 2019, Anderson struggled to develop chemistry with new Jets’ quarterback Sam Darnold. He was far more useful for the real-life Jets’ offense than as a fantasy asset. He doesn’t receive the necessary volume to be a fantasy star.

Coming into the Panthers’ offense, I see no room for Anderson to be a standalone fantasy asset. He is now clearly at best the third option in the passing game, behind McCaffrey and Moore. Getting away from Jets’ head coach Adam Gase could be seen as a positive, but that’s about the only one. New quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is known for being a checkdown machine, a terrible fit with Anderson’s downfield style. I think this contract is the death-knell for Anderson’s dynasty value, and I would stop holding out hope for a return to his 2017 season. If anyone thinks this is a good move for Anderson, I will try to sell Anderson to them right now for a mid-second round rookie pick.

Teddy Bridgewater

First, Bridgewater signed with the Panthers, led by head coach Matt Rhule and offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Brady led the 2019 LSU offense, who put up a historic season with 2020 prospect Joe Burrow. Now, he will come into the 2020 season with one of the most loaded offensive skill position groups in the NFL. Moore is a solid WR1, Anderson is an above-average WR2, and Samuel is one of the best WR3s in the league. He also has McCaffrey and budding tight end Ian Thomas to work with on offense.

Even though Bridgewater is not known for throwing downfield, he is still an accurate quarterback. In his most recent action in 2019 for the Saints, he completed 67.9% of his passes and had a 99.1 passer rating. Bridgewater is a smart quarterback and will throw deep to Anderson if he is open or if the play calls explicitly for that. I don’t expect him to take too many shots to Anderson, but adding a downfield weapon will clear the middle of the field for the rest of the Panthers’ weapons.

Therefore, Bridgewater is the most significant benefactor of Anderson’s signing. He is a solid QB2 in dynasty superflex formats, and I would value him around a mid-first round rookie pick. He also would make for a cheap acquisition as a backup quarterback in 1 QB leagues. He would probably only cost a mid-3rd or less in those formats.

Christian McCaffrey

There’s not much to say about Christian McCaffrey. He’s the RB1 overall in all formats, and adding a deep-play threat like Anderson will not affect him too much. The Panthers will continue to feature and run their offense through McCaffrey. Just ignore this move if you’re a McCaffrey owner.

D.J. Moore

Similar to McCaffrey, I don’t see this move as having a massive impact on Moore. With Anderson going downfield, Moore will continue to rack up receptions. Coming into Year 3, he has a chance to build on his 2019 line. As a 22-year-old, second-year player, Moore recorded 87 receptions on 135 targets, 1,175 yards, and four touchdowns. I think Moore will fully develop in 2020, and that will offset a slight loss in targets from Anderson’s arrival. If anyone is downgrading Moore based on this move, it’s the time to pounce in dynasty leagues. He’s currently my 14th overall player in dynasty and my WR7. I’d have him on every team if I could. 

Curtis Samuel

Unfortunately, there has to be a massive loser from Anderson’s signing, and that’s Samuel. Before Anderson signed, many were expecting a 2020 breakout from Samuel. The Panthers could have used Moore and Samuel as LSU used Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson in their 2019 offense. Both receivers were among the NCAA leaders in all receiving categories. However, now, while Moore is still the clear top receiver, Anderson and Samuel will split the WR2 role. The worst news for Samuel is that Anderson also excels in a deep-threat role. One of Samuel’s biggest arguments is that he finished ninth in WR air yards but was only the WR36. Samuel also had an 85.8% snap share in 2019, second among Panthers’ skill position players behind just McCaffrey.

For 2020, I can’t see Samuel as a relevant fantasy option. I think the Panthers’ offense will support McCaffrey and Moore, but everyone else will likely cannibalize each other. However, do not give up on Samuel in dynasty leagues, as he will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2020 season. Considering that the Panthers selected Moore in the first round in 2018 and just handed out a hefty contract to Anderson, there is almost no way they will want or be able to retain Samuel. Samuel will go into the 2021 season at just 25 years old, so he’s a sneaky dynasty buy for anyone patient or rebuilding. Try tossing a late-second round pick at the Samuel owner and see if that gets it done.

Ian Thomas

I think Thomas takes a hit because of the Anderson move, although not as large of a hit as Samuel. Thomas’ role will remain the same on the Panthers’ offense; he’ll be the receiving tight end and step right into Greg Olsen’s role from 2019. Olsen finished as the TE13 in 2019 in just 14 games, so there is plenty of room for Thomas to excel. While Anderson might steal a few targets and touchdowns, Bridgewater is a checkdown machine, which will help Thomas. Similar to Moore, if anybody is downgrading Thomas significantly due to this move, it’s an excellent time to buy him. If you can get Thomas for any third-round pick, I’d pull the trigger.

Thanks for reading this article. You can find me on Twitter at @DFF_Justin. I love to interact with anyone in the community, so reach out at any time! I take fantasy questions and help with all formats, so keep sending those questions my way.