CJ Anderson – Price Check

With Miami’s signing of Knowshon Moreno, the knee-jerk talk is centered around Montee Ball. The gushing Denver press highlighting confidence in Ball certainly helps facilitate that. Sure, Ball is the immediate beneficiary, but don’t look past second year back CJ Anderson. In fact, I’d call Anderson the preferred Denver back to acquire given their relative prices across dynasty leagues.

Right now, you can snag Anderson around RB68 based on our March startup data. Additionally, here’s how he’s currently ranked among some of the major dynasty outlets:

–          DLF – Outside of top 100 RBs
–          Profootballfocus – RB91
–          Footballguys – RB92
–          FFOasis – Outside top 150 RBs

With these numbers, he’s currently slotted behind guys like Edwin Baker, Ray Graham, and Spencer Ware. So, basically, he can be had for peanuts. He’s the licorice jellybean – very few like him and, if you’re me, he’s trash. Personally, I have Anderson at RB50, but have recently considered bumping him up to the high 40’s.

Here’s why dynasty owners need to take note and stash or acquire Anderson cheaply:

Current Depth Chart

Considered a long-term stash a year ago, Anderson now finds himself in the perfect situation headed into the NFL draft. Assuming that the Broncos don’t add a running back in the draft, Anderson is likely to be Ball’s back up entering the 2014 season. In that role, he’ll be guaranteed touches.

We all know what Peyton Manning does to a running back’s performance, so guaranteed touches for Anderson should mean production. Look no further than the aforementioned Moreno who put together a career year in 2013 facing the formidable six in the box defensive formations on a weekly basis. The same can be said guys like Joseph Addai who Manning instantaneously facilitated production for.

Some may suggest Ronnie Hillman as a barrier to entry for Anderson, but Hillman already had his opportunity and squandered it (or literally fumbled it). Hillman is still very young, but Anderson was the one who was active throughout the 2014 playoffs and Hillman was the one who was often inactive. This suggests that Anderson has already passed Hillman.

Broncos Quiet Confidence

Looking back to last summer, the Broncos quietly expressed their confidence in Anderson with a minor move. In mid-August following the Broncos’ first preseason game, Anderson suffered a sprained MCL. As a 2013 undrafted free agent, the logical conclusion was that he would be released as a result. Anderson himself even thought so and allegedly called his high school coach in tears. However, despite the injury, the Broncos decided to keep Anderson on the active roster and, instead, released Lance Ball. That highlighted the Broncos view of Anderson. There was no way they were going to let him free and risk losing his potential, so they released a healthy role player.

Physical Attributes & College Production

Admittedly, much of the above can be considered fluff despite the fact that I believe the underlying confidence factor. Nonetheless, let’s dig a bit further into who Anderson is as a player.

As mentioned, Anderson was a 2013 undrafted free agent out of Cal. Here’s how he measured up at the NFL Combine:

Height	Weight	BMI	40 Time	Shuttle	3 Cone	Broad
5’8″	224	34.1	4.53	4.12	7.15	9’11”

Anderson played his JUCO football at Laney College where he first struggled for a year, but then excelled before transferring to Cal University in 2011. With Cal, he played two seasons in a timeshare before declaring for the NFL draft.It’s quite clear from these numbers that he doesn’t have great long-range speed given his 40 time. However, his short shuttle and broad jump highlight his explosiveness. Watch his college play and you quickly see that. On the field, this quickness is a definitive attribute given his tank-like size and one-cut running style.

At Cal, he finished with the following numbers:

Considering he shared the backfield and only started two games, the production is notable. So in total, what we have is a slow, but quick tank prospect with solid college production. Without watching any of his gameplay, I wouldn’t mind taking a flyer on a guy with these numbers. However, not only do these measurable exist, but these attributes transfer to his play on the field. Like I said earlier, he rarely goes down on initial contact, runs through arm tackles, runs hard/exhibits power, and shows a quick first step. Take a look at this clip and see for yourself:

2013 Season

These physical attributes flashed in the 2013 preseason in the Broncos preseason opener against the 49ers. While he faced the 49ers’ second and third string defenses, he finished the game with 69 yards on 15 carries. With this, a buzz began to build across deeper fantasy dynasty leagues and the Denver press. It seemed that he was situated more opportunities over the remainder of the preseason. Unfortunately, he sprained his MCL the following week sidetracking his progression.

When he returned from injury, Anderson was active throughout the second half of the season and into the playoffs. He finished the year with seven carries for 38 yards.

Summary

Anderson hasn’t been given the opportunity yet and only has a handful of NFL carries, but there are enough positive signs to suggest that he will be given an expanded role in 2014. He’s a player to stash or acquire cheaply to monitor throughout the next few months and into the preseason.

Given his natural ability and the Broncos’ quiet confidence, Anderson is the Denver running back I’d prefer to acquire given their current relative dynasty values. He’s a top sleeper headed into 2014.

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveWyremski