{"id":55383,"date":"2018-12-26T17:21:15","date_gmt":"2018-12-26T22:21:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=55383"},"modified":"2021-03-26T20:58:36","modified_gmt":"2021-03-27T00:58:36","slug":"fantasy-football-cj-anderson-poised-to-do-it-again-in-week-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2018\/12\/26\/fantasy-football-cj-anderson-poised-to-do-it-again-in-week-17\/","title":{"rendered":"Fantasy Football: CJ Anderson Poised to Do It Again in Week 17"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2018\u00a0season has been an adventure for veteran running back CJ Anderson<\/a><\/strong>. After recording just 24 rushing attempts with the Carolina Panthers<\/a>, the recently-signed running back recorded 20 carries for 167 yards and a touchdown while filling in for Todd Gurley<\/a><\/strong>. Anderson had a fantastic Week 16, and he\u2019s in position to have another good game in Week 17. If he\u2019s still available in your league, make sure to put in a claim.<\/p>\n

Fantasy Football: Start CJ Anderson In Your Championship<\/h1>\n

The most important factor to Anderson\u2019s fantasy value is the health of running back Todd Gurley. If fully healthy, Gurley will take the majority of the carries. However, there\u2019s no guarantee that he plays. The Rams are basically locked into the number two seed in the NFC playoffs, and they won\u2019t put Gurley in any unnecessary risk.<\/p>\n

Per NFL Network\u2019s Ian Rapoport<\/strong>, the Rams are considering sitting Gurley<\/a> to minimize risk on his body. From the sounds of it, he\u2019ll only play if he\u2019s 100% healthy. Rams head coach Sean McVay<\/strong> echoed this<\/a> when he said \u201c[the Rams] don\u2019t want to do anything where they\u2019re putting him in harm\u2019s way\u201d. Considering knee injuries are especially dangerous for running backs, it\u2019s a safe bet Gurley won\u2019t play in the regular season finale.<\/p>\n

Anderson will be the lead guy without Gurley, and he\u2019ll be a startable RB1 in just about any fantasy format. Last week wasn\u2019t an illusion, Anderson is a competent running back who can take advantage of a powerful offensive line and a favorable matchup.<\/p>\n

What Anderson Brings<\/h2>\n

Some may worry about Anderson’s big game being a one-week fluke. Prior to Week 16\u2019s action, Anderson recorded just 20 carries for 167 yards throughout the entire season. However, despite the low overall totals, Anderson is still a good running back capable of starting in the right situation.<\/p>\n

The reason Anderson didn\u2019t see more action early in the season is that he was behind Carolina Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey<\/a><\/strong>. McCaffrey is one of the best running backs in the NFL and has played in an absurd 96.95% of offensive snaps on the season. Quite frankly, it\u2019s impossible to be productive with McCaffrey seeing that high a snap percentage.<\/p>\n

Anderson was a serviceable starter as recently as 2017. Back with the Denver Broncos<\/a>, Anderson recorded a team-high 245 carries for 1,007 yards and three touchdowns for a respectable 4.1 yards-per-carry. Throughout his career, Anderson has never averaged less than four yards-per-carry in any season. He\u2019s not much of a receiving back, but he certainly has what it takes to lead a rushing attack.<\/p>\n

Anderson put this ability on display during Week 16 when he recorded 20 carries for 167 yards and one touchdown. He probably won\u2019t do that again, but he showed he can still run the ball well. Anderson\u2019s big night wasn\u2019t just a product of great blocking, either. Per ESPN Stats and Info, 105 of Anderson\u2019s 167 yards came after contact, showing that Anderson is able to get more than his blocking gives him.<\/p>\n

Anderson\u2019s Matchup<\/h2>\n

Now that we\u2019ve established Anderson is a good running back, let\u2019s take a look at the matchup. Anderson still has something in his tank, but he\u2019s certainly not matchup-proof. Fortunately, Anderson has a favorable matchup for the second straight week.<\/p>\n

The Rams host the San Francisco 49ers in the regular season finale, and Anderson should have every opportunity to run wild over this defense. The 49ers currently allow the 12th<\/sup>-most fantasy points to the running back position in standard scoring. Additionally, Football Outsiders currently ranks San Francisco as the 13th<\/sup>-best team against the running back position. Basically, this is a middle-of-the-road defense which can be exploited by the right offense.<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Rams are the right offense for the job. Los Angeles enters Week 17 as Football Outsiders\u2019 top-ranked run-blocking offensive line. San Francisco\u2019s defensive line isn\u2019t the pushover unit of the Arizona Cardinals, but the Rams should still win at the point of attack.<\/p>\n

Last Word on C.J. Anderson in Week 17<\/h2>\n

C.J. Anderson won\u2019t give you the same production he did last week, but he should still be a startable asset in Week 17. He is still a good running back, even if Christian McCaffrey didn\u2019t give him the opportunity to prove it with the Panthers. Anderson was a 1,000-yard rusher as recently as 2018 and never averaged less than four yards-per-carry in a season. He showed that he still has something left in his tank when he recorded 106 yards after contact against the Arizona Cardinals.<\/p>\n

Additionally, Anderson has a favorable matchup in Week 17. The San Francisco 49ers defense isn\u2019t the same pushover unit as the Cardinals, but it\u2019s a beatable unit. Los Angeles has the best run-blocking offensive line in the league, so any defense would have its\u2019 hands full against this unit. Anderson should have decent blocking in front of him, and that\u2019s all he\u2019ll need to put up another strong outing.<\/p>\n

Obviously, this all goes out the window if Gurley plays in the regular season finale. However, it doesn\u2019t look like Gurley will play before the playoffs begin. Head coach Sean McVay acknowledged that Gurley won\u2019t play unless he\u2019s 100%, and NFL Network\u2019s Ian Rapoport reported that it wouldn\u2019t be a surprise to see Gurley sit out an extra week.<\/p>\n

All of this aligns for Anderson to be the must-claim of the week. He has the ability, a favorable matchup, and complete control of the Rams backfield. If he\u2019s not available in your league, you can take a flier<\/a> on a guy like Dwayne Washington<\/a><\/strong>. However, Anderson is easily the better player for the fantasy championship.<\/p>\n

Main photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>