Fantasy Upside
C.J. Anderson quietly finished ninth in the league last season with 1,007 rushing yards. He’s only 27 years old, which should put him right in his prime, and he’ll be replacing Jonathan Stewart in the Panthers offense. Stewart had 198 carries last season, mostly on first and second down, and Anderson seems poised to take those touches. While Stewart averaged only 3.4 yards per carry with his attempts, Anderson has a career average of 4.4 (4.1 last season).
Fantasy Downside
Anderson hasn’t been featured heavily in the passing game. He caught only 28 passes last year, and the Panthers have Christian McCaffrey in the backfield, who should continue to be the primary receiving option out of the backfield. As a result, Anderson offers very little upside in PPR formats. Additionally, Anderson only scored four touchdowns last season, and the most he’s ever scored in a year was eight, back in 2014. On a team with Cam Newton vulturing red zone touches, Anderson’s scoring woes may continue in Carolina.
2018 Bottom Line
Stewart was worth rostering in most standard league formats as a deep bench guy throughout most of last season, and Anderson should get better production on fresher legs in a similar role. He has value as a spot-starter and bye-week fill-in, particularly in standard leagues, but shouldn’t be considered a viable starting option in PPR formats.