What are fantasy football owners getting out of adding former New York Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson now that he is a member of the Carolina Panthers after inking a two-year, $20 million deal?
The answer is summed up in a few words: Streaky playmaker.
Why do we know this? Three straight seasons of consistent year-end figures that show a trend of week-to-week ebbs and flows like few others.
Table: Robby Anderson’s career stats (2016-19)
|
Season
|
Team
|
G
|
Targ
|
Rec
|
Yds
|
Avg
|
TD
|
Att
|
Yds
|
TD
|
FanPts
|
FanPts/G
|
|
2016
|
NYJ
|
14
|
78
|
42
|
587
|
14.0
|
2
|
3
|
42
|
0
|
116.9
|
8.4
|
|
2017
|
NYJ
|
16
|
114
|
63
|
941
|
14.9
|
7
|
3
|
9
|
0
|
200.0
|
12.5
|
|
2018
|
NYJ
|
14
|
94
|
50
|
752
|
15.0
|
6
|
2
|
-8
|
0
|
160.4
|
11.5
|
|
2019
|
NYJ
|
16
|
96
|
52
|
779
|
15.0
|
5
|
1
|
4
|
0
|
160.3
|
10.0
|
The scoring used in these tables is non-PPR — his optimal setting for fantasy returns. The takeaway should be regardless of the system or quarterback, the core metrics of Anderson’s game do not change to any notable degree. His catch-to-touchdown ratio hasn’t varied more than two grabs in the last three years, and Anderson’s yards-per-reception average hasn’t wavered enough to speak of since he entered the league.
When looking at the yearlong results on a weekly basis, we see massive swings in production.
Table: Robby Anderson’s 2019 per-game statistics
|
Wk
|
Opp
|
Targ
|
Rec
|
Yds
|
Avg
|
TD
|
Att
|
Yds
|
TD
|
FanPts
|
|
1
|
BUF
|
7
|
3
|
23
|
7.7
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
5.3
|
|
2
|
CLE
|
6
|
4
|
81
|
20.3
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
12.1
|
|
3
|
at NE
|
5
|
3
|
11
|
3.7
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
4.1
|
|
5
|
at PHI
|
3
|
1
|
16
|
16
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2.6
|
|
6
|
DAL
|
8
|
5
|
125
|
25
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
23.5
|
|
7
|
NE
|
8
|
1
|
10
|
10
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2.0
|
|
8
|
at JAC
|
6
|
4
|
43
|
10.8
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
8.3
|
|
9
|
at MIA
|
4
|
2
|
33
|
16.5
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
5.3
|
|
10
|
NYG
|
3
|
1
|
11
|
11
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2.1
|
|
11
|
at WAS
|
3
|
1
|
6
|
6.0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
7.6
|
|
12
|
OAK
|
5
|
4
|
86
|
21.5
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
18.6
|
|
13
|
at CIN
|
10
|
7
|
101
|
14.4
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
17.1
|
|
14
|
MIA
|
11
|
7
|
117
|
16.7
|
1
|
1
|
4
|
0
|
25.1
|
|
15
|
at BAL
|
6
|
4
|
66
|
16.5
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
10.6
|
|
16
|
PIT
|
4
|
2
|
32
|
16
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
11.2
|
|
17
|
at BUF
|
7
|
3
|
18
|
6.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
4.8
|
- All five scores came in different games, which is good for fantasy owners in weekly, head-to-head leagues.
- Unfortunately, 80 percent of them came in a five-games span.
- Since Week 12, he closed out the year strong in all but the finale, and it wasn’t for a lack of targets in that one.
Table: Robby Anderson’s 2018 per-game statistics
|
Wk
|
Opp
|
Targ
|
Rec
|
Yds
|
Avg
|
TD
|
Att
|
Yds
|
TD
|
FanPts
|
|
1
|
at DET
|
1
|
1
|
41
|
41
|
1
|
1
|
-9
|
0
|
10.2
|
|
2
|
MIA
|
5
|
3
|
27
|
9.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
5.7
|
|
3
|
at CLE
|
4
|
2
|
22
|
11
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
4.2
|
|
4
|
at JAC
|
6
|
2
|
18
|
9
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
3.8
|
|
5
|
DEN
|
5
|
3
|
123
|
41
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
27.3
|
|
6
|
IND
|
5
|
3
|
39
|
13
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
6.9
|
|
7
|
MIN
|
10
|
3
|
44
|
14.7
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
7.4
|
|
9
|
at MIA
|
7
|
4
|
32
|
8.0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
7.3
|
|
12
|
NE
|
5
|
2
|
22
|
11
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
4.2
|
|
13
|
at TEN
|
7
|
4
|
48
|
12
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
8.8
|
|
14
|
at BUF
|
7
|
4
|
76
|
19
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
17.6
|
|
15
|
HOU
|
11
|
7
|
96
|
13.7
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
22.6
|
|
16
|
GB
|
13
|
9
|
140
|
15.6
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
29.0
|
|
17
|
at NE
|
8
|
3
|
24
|
8.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
5.4
|
- Six touchdowns and half came in three consecutive games late in the year.
- One score over the first month, and it came on a lone grab.
- Struggled to exploit top-level competition most of the time.
Table: Robby Anderson’s 2017 per-game statistics
|
Wk
|
Opp
|
Targ
|
Rec
|
Yds
|
Avg
|
TD
|
Att
|
Yds
|
TD
|
FanPts
|
|
1
|
at BUF
|
8
|
4
|
22
|
5.5
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
6.2
|
|
2
|
at OAK
|
4
|
2
|
28
|
14.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
4.8
|
|
3
|
MIA
|
6
|
3
|
95
|
31.7
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
18.5
|
|
4
|
JAC
|
6
|
3
|
59
|
19.7
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
8.9
|
|
5
|
at CLE
|
5
|
2
|
16
|
8.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
3.6
|
|
6
|
NE
|
12
|
4
|
76
|
19
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
11.6
|
|
7
|
at MIA
|
5
|
3
|
35
|
11.7
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
12.5
|
|
8
|
ATL
|
6
|
6
|
104
|
17.3
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
22.5
|
|
9
|
BUF
|
5
|
4
|
48
|
12
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
14.8
|
|
10
|
at TB
|
7
|
4
|
85
|
21.3
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
18.5
|
|
12
|
CAR
|
10
|
6
|
146
|
24.3
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
32.6
|
|
13
|
KC
|
12
|
8
|
107
|
13.4
|
0
|
1
|
7
|
0
|
19.4
|
|
14
|
at DEN
|
6
|
3
|
27
|
9.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
5.7
|
|
15
|
at NO
|
12
|
5
|
40
|
8.0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
9.0
|
|
16
|
LAC
|
7
|
5
|
51
|
10.2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
10.1
|
|
17
|
at NE
|
3
|
1
|
2
|
2.0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
1.3
|
- Unlike the two more recent seasons, Anderson didn’t close out strong in 2017. But he also didn’t start hot, finding the end zone only once in the first six outings.
- He did, however, score six times in a five-game span from Week 7-12. The Jets were on bye in Week 11.
- Anderson averaged just 3.7 catches in the 10 games without a score that year.
[lawrence-related id=448889,449273]
Obviously more goes into a player’s value than his talents and past. The problem here is even if one overlooks Anderson’s demonstrable traits as a football player, he enters a lousy situation to achieve his potential from a statistical perspective.
In Carolina, he’ll catch passes from a game manager in Teddy Bridgewater and have to fight for targets in a moderate-volume passing attack with reception-hog D.J. Moore and do-all wideout Curtis Samuel. We haven’t even addressed that guy in the backfield with 107-plus catches in consecutive seasons…
Going one step further, a rookie head coach and first-time offensive coordinator shouldn’t get the benefit of the doubt 99 percent of the time, and this isn’t the one that falls in that 1 percentile.
Fantasy football takeaway
Few receivers can take a football anywhere on the field and turn it into six points in the way Anderson is capable of doing, but players need more tricks in the bag than “go deep” to become a multifaceted fantasy contributor.
It is far more likely that we’ve seen his ceiling already when compared to what to expect in Carolina. We also may know his floor to be a risk-reward matchup-based, WR3/flex play. But all of that may come with a not so obvious trapdoor in Carolina’s offense, and he realistically could be facing a ceiling somewhere in that flex range if consistency is on your radar — and it needs to be.
As mentioned, his value is at its peak in non-PPR leagues. To Anderson’s credit, he appears to have cleaned up his off-the-field antics, so at least that is going for him.