This is a good read on Anderson. Note at the bottom who Waldman recommends starting Anderson over.
ROBBY ANDERSON A MUST-START?
Quite a statement—even as a question. The Upgrade/Downgrade report on Anderson tells you why...
Anderson was the No.1 target for
Bryce Petty for the second straight week. He came through with a strong game against the vulnerable 49ers pass defense and should be considered a WR3/Flex against the Dolphins in Week 15.
Anderson has 12 catches for 204 yards and a touchdown since Week 12. If you examine his
targets in that span, it's a noteworthy development that Petty is in the lineup.
Player
TM
Wk12
Wk13
Wk14
Targ
T/TmG
T/G
REC
YD
Y/R
TD
Rec%
Julian Edelman
NE
11
12
15
38
12.7
12.7
23
257
11.2
0
60.5
Odell Beckham Jr
NYG
11
16
9
36
12.0
12.0
20
290
14.5
3
55.6
Demaryius Thomas
DEN
8
10
16
34
11.3
11.3
21
247
11.8
0
61.8
Zach Ertz
PHI
6
15
13
34
11.3
11.3
22
227
10.3
1
64.7
Emmanuel Sanders
DEN
10
9
14
33
11.0
11.0
21
290
13.8
2
63.6
Travis Kelce
KC
15
8
8
31
10.3
10.3
21
342
16.3
0
67.7
David Johnson
ARI
11
12
8
31
10.3
10.3
22
235
10.7
2
71.0
Michael Crabtree
OAK
13
11
7
31
10.3
10.3
19
205
10.8
1
61.3
Kyle Rudolph
MIN
10
12
8
30
10.0
10.0
19
169
8.9
1
63.3
Jordy Nelson
GB
12
10
7
29
9.7
9.7
22
250
11.4
3
75.9
T.Y. Hilton
IND
5
10
13
28
9.3
9.3
21
315
15.0
1
75.0
Golden Tate
DET
7
10
11
28
9.3
9.3
19
280
14.7
1
67.9
Kenny Britt
LA
10
6
12
28
9.3
9.3
14
201
14.4
2
50.0
Jarvis Landry
MIA
7
14
6
27
9.0
9.0
19
237
12.5
0
70.4
Doug Baldwin
SEA
8
7
11
26
8.7
8.7
20
145
7.2
0
76.9
Mike Evans
TB
11
6
8
25
8.3
8.3
15
184
12.3
2
60.0
Adam Thielen
MIN
11
9
5
25
8.3
8.3
19
240
12.6
0
76.0
Robby Anderson
NYJ
2
12
11
25
8.3
8.3
12
194
16.2
1
48.0
Anderson is 18th in targets among all players during this period and he's fourth overall since Petty took the controls during the Colts game.
Player
TM
Wk13
Wk14
Targ
T/TmG
T/G
REC
YD
Y/R
TD
Rec%
Zach Ertz
PHI
15
13
28
14.0
14.0
19
191
10.1
1
67.9
Julian Edelman
NE
12
15
27
13.5
13.5
15
174
11.6
0
55.6
Demaryius Thomas
DEN
10
16
26
13.0
13.0
16
187
11.7
0
61.5
Odell Beckham Jr
NYG
16
9
25
12.5
12.5
14
194
13.9
1
56.0
Robby Anderson
NYJ
12
11
23
11.5
11.5
10
160
16.0
1
43.5
Best yet, he's earning 16 yards per reception. These aren't dink-and-dunk plays. Petty likes throwing down the field and Anderson is making plays against coverage.
Bloom notes that the Dolphins defense may have gotten the best of
Carson Palmer, but the unit still allowed three touchdowns to Cardinals wide receivers last week. Scott Bischoff notes that only seven teams in the league have given up more passing scores than the Dolphins.
Ingel gives a balanced view of Anderson's potential in The Docket:
The backup QB to backup WR connection is really, especially if that backup WR is actually talented. Anderson stands 6’3” and ran a 4.36 at his pro day coming out of college last year. He’s seeing an insane number of targets, occupying over 31% of Petty’s passes last week, going 6/99 on 11 targets, after seeing 12 targets and going 4/61/1 the week prior. While the catch rate isn’t amazing, volume is king and he is seeing a ton of it against a Dolphins secondary giving up nearly 40 FPG to opposing WRs over last 5 games. One word of caution, now that Petty has been practicing with Marshall and Enunwa for three full weeks, this backup-to-backup could come to an end at any time. But I say keep riding it against this suspect secondary.
My Advice: The Dolphins secondary has issues when quarterbacks buy time and these weaker corners and substitute safety
Bacarri Rambo have to communicate and adjust. Petty and Anderson do well on these plays. Even if Marshall and Enunwa have earned more practice time with Petty, rapport usually doesn't come that fast.
If it does, keep in mind that Anderson isn't some out-of-nowhere pick. He's earned 6 targets a game with the previous Jets starters in 5 of the 9 weeks that he's seen at least double-digit snaps.
Anderson is not a must-start, but he's a good risk as a WR3 with WR2 upside. He's only scored once so the bet is on volume and a big play that isn't a touchdown. Player's I'd start him ahead of include:
Allen Robinson,
Terrelle Pryor,
Michael Crabtree,
Rishard Matthews, an injured
Michael Thomas,
Dontrelle Inman,
Sammy Watkins, and
Julian Edelman.
Maurile Tremblay has Anderson as his No.24 receiver. David Dodds and Sigmund Bloom are rating Anderson a WR4 and WR3, respectively. Put me higher than Bloom, but lower than Tremblay in regards to Anderson.
Good luck this weekend and may I see you all on the other side of Week 15 for the final installment of 2016's The Best Of.
WEEKLY CONTENT