Player Spotlight: DJ Moore

Special thanks to guest writer Jordan Barkin for this article!

DJ Moore is one of the top young receivers in the NFL and has a clear path to a breakout season

DJ Moore, the wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers, is one of the best young players at the position in the NFL. In his first two years in the league, he combined for 142 Rec, 1963 Yds, and 6 TDs, with 87 Rec, 1175 Yds, and 4 TDs last season. He’s a quick, agile player that can run with the ball and has good hands. He improved significantly from year 1 to 2 and became a true number 1 WR for the Panthers. His QB for most of the season was Kyle Allen, an undrafted rookie and he struggled last year. Though Allen won his first four starts and had one of the longest streaks of passes to start a career without an interception in NFL history, he is far from a good quarterback. He has a weak arm and isn’t the greatest decision maker. DJ Moore caught a lot of shorter passes which made it easier for Allen, and he fought for yards after the catch as well. Moore is a short, intermediate, and deep threat receiver but still can improve in certain areas of his game. And he’s still only 23 years old.

He’s not an elite route runner yet which hurts his separation but still has good hands and is able to get the ball. He likely won’t ever be a great 50/50 ball receiver but he’s a strong player, which helps him in other areas. If he improves his ability in these areas, I can easily see him being a top 10 receiver in the league in the near future.

Last season, Moore was the WR16 in PPR, but I think this season will be a lot better for him. He improved significantly from year 1 to 2, and still has room for improvement. What’s most exciting from a fantasy standpoint is the Panthers’ new QB, Teddy Bridgewater. Bridgewater is not an elite QB, but he’s been a very solid QB during his time in the league, playing very well for New Orleans last year while Drew Brees was injured. Typically, when a backup QB comes in, it hurts everyone’s stats. However, Teddy Bridgewater was actually able to support essentially the same numbers for the New Orleans WR 1, Michael Thomas, that he had the rest of the season. Bridgewater played 6 games for New Orleans, and in those 6 games, Michael Thomas averaged 22.3 PPR points per game. The second best WR in PPR points per game for the season was Chris Godwin, who averaged only 19.7. Teddy Bridgewater was able to support Michael Thomas’s stats to be the best fantasy receiver in the league by a significant margin. Thomas actually ended the year averaging 23.4 PPR PPG, a slight improvement with Brees.

It is evident that DJ Moore is a talented young player and was able to succeed in Carolina during his first few years even with subpar QB play. Teddy Bridgewater is a proven QB that can actually lead his team and receivers to success, as proven last year. DJ Moore is a player that can be targeted a ton by Bridgewater due to his versatility as a threat. I expect nothing short of a breakout year by Moore, proving that he belongs with the other elite receivers in the NFL.