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The Carolina Panthers officially began its fire sale on Monday by trading wide receiver Robbie Anderson to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday. The move came just one day after interim head coach Steve Wilks kicked Anderson out of Sunday’s 24-10 loss at the Los Angeles Rams, signaling the end of the veteran wideout’s stint with the franchise.
This trade will have ramifications on both sides from a fantasy football standpoint and we’ll go over the impact below.
Fantasy football fallout: Robbie Anderson to Cardinals
How trade affects Cardinals wide receivers
The move was well timed on the Cardinals’ part with Monday’s report that Marquise Brown possibly suffered a season-ending foot injury. The good news for the team is that star receiver DeAndre Hopkins will return from his six-game suspension and officially make his season debut against the Saints this Thursday. One would assume that D-Hop will simply eat up the targets that Brown was getting, satisfying the fantasy managers who had stashed him away through the first third of the season.
As for Anderson, he should slide into the No. 3 receiving role behind Hopkins and tight end Zach Ertz. He’ll most likely put up similar fantasy numbers as he was with the Panthers.
How trade affects Panthers wide receivers
Like the rest of the offense, the Panthers’ wide receiver room is in a state of flux with even more changes reportedly on the way. The team is currently listening to offers for D.J. Moore along with running back Christian McCaffrey, signaling that they are going all in on blowing everything up in the aftermath of Matt Rhule firing.
A receiver that could benefit here is second-year wideout Terrace Marshall Jr. The LSU product has made a minimal impact so far in his career but could potentially get more snaps and targets with Anderson and potentially Moore gone. It’d be wise to look for him on the waiver wire in these coming weeks.