DJ Moore, Robby Anderson’s Fantasy Outlook After Sam Darnold’s Shoulder Injury

AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman

The Carolina Panthers are expected to be playing without quarterback Sam Darnold for several weeks after he suffered a fractured scapula, per the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, leaving fantasy managers in an uncertain position with other key players on their offense. 

Darnold hasn’t been much of a factor throughout his career to this point. His career high in both passing yards (3,024) and touchdowns (19) came during the 2019 season. 

The Panthers have given Darnold an opportunity for a fresh start after acquiring him from the New York Jets. He’s cooled off dramatically following a hot start. The USC alum completed 54.8 percent of his attempts for 1,098 yards, four touchdowns and 10 interceptions between Weeks 4 and 9.

By comparison, Darnold completed 68.2 percent of his passes with 888 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in the first three games of the season. 

P.J. Walker is in line to take over at quarterback, though Will Grier is also on the roster. Walker is a former XFL standout who started one game for the Panthers in 2020. The 26-year-old went 3-of-14 for 33 yards in Week 7 against the New York Giants after Darnold was benched. 

If there’s one reason for fantasy managers to be optimistic, Carolina’s top two receivers have proved they can be productive with mediocre quarterback play.

DJ Moore and Robby Anderson both had over 1,000 receiving yards in 2020 with Teddy Bridgewater throwing them passes. Moore has been, by far, Darnold’s favorite target. He had more receiving yards through Week 8 (645) than the next four Panthers players combined (633). 

Anderson has fallen off a cliff in 2021. He has only caught 35.8 percent of his targets for 206 yards and two touchdowns. 

He also was seen on the sidelines in Week 9 appearing to yell at Darnold after the quarterback’s third interception of the game.

“That’s what comes with it,” Anderson told reporters about the exchange. “My emotions—I know that they’ll most likely gonna catch that. So it’s not nothing that I’m hiding from or nothing that I’m ashamed of. I’m very passionate. This game means the world to me. And I put my all into everything just like everyone in this locker room does. I know this game is not gonna last forever. So when things don’t go in the right direction, it hurts me cuz I’m only gonna get to live this dream one time.”

Suffice to say, Anderson—who was previously paired with Darnold on the New York Jets—might not suffer much with Darnold sidelined.

It’s probably not a coincidence that things started to fall apart for the Panthers when Christian McCaffrey went down with a hamstring injury in Week 3. He averaged 162 yards from scrimmage per game in the first two weeks.  

Given the uncertainty at the quarterback position, Moore is the only Panthers receiver worth a look in fantasy right now. At best, though, he’s a flex option if you have a more reliable starter on a bye.