After reaching record lows last quarter, Anthony Richardson’s stock is surging after an impressive showing Sunday afternoon in Foxborough. After getting benched mid-season in favor of veteran Joe Flacco, it was unclear if Richardson had a viable future in Indianapolis. After reclaiming his starter status, the second-year gunslinger is 2-1, showing flashes of the guy drafted fourth overall just a year ago.
Can you trust Anthony Richardson?
Like the story of his play style, there are jaw-dropping highs mixed with stunning lowlights. The down-to-down accuracy is still rather shaky, hovering around a 50% completion percentage. The pass-catching room does him no favors, with Alec Pierce and rookie Adonai Mitchell suffering from a severe case of the drops. Even so, Richardson has too many instances of resembling a wild relief pitcher who throws missiles but is unsure where they’ll end up.
Richardson feasts off hunting big gains—using his cannon arm to launch the ball downfield. These chunk plays help mask his inefficiency to an extent, and the threat of taking the top off the defense opens up concepts underneath. He’s slowly starting to take the “easy reads” at a higher rate, which makes this aerial attack much more dynamic. Add in the threat with his legs, and the offense has an achievable upside.
Buy (low) into the Anthony Richardson bounce back
Like Richardson, the fantasy quarterback position is volatile at best. There’s a clear hierarchy of five-to-seven fairly consistent elite options, but after that, there is a dramatic drop-off.
Richardson has an admittedly dangerous floor because of his lack of passing output—only throwing for over 200 yards once in his last seven outings. His ability to run the rock mitigates the risk slightly, as he’s an electrifying rusher who is difficult to bring down. Offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter has started prioritizing using Richardson’s dual-threat ability in the red zone and allowing him to make magic out of the pocket.
Indy gets a bye and then a matchup with a ferocious Denver defense, but it’s smooth sailing after that. Richardson ends his campaign against Tennessee, the other dreadful New York team, and Jacksonville—three struggling teams that routinely get lit up.
Inserting him in those more than favorable matchups could be a crucial play on the way to a fantasy title. He has the potential to hit his ceiling a few times in the home stretch and give your squad a much-needed boost at the QB spot. It won’t always look aesthetically pleasing, but if he can connect on enough of his shots and continue to be a force with the ball in his hands, he has the tools to be an under-the-radar X-factor.
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