What can Fantasy Football owners expect from Anthony Miller in 2018?
Projecting rookies is never an easy task. It’s hard to figure exactly what a rookie will be called upon to do by their team, and therefore determining what kind of statistical output they’ll have will also be challenging. Anthony Miller is no different.
The Chicago Bears’ offense has a lot in flux. They have a second-year quarterback who should make major strides this year but until he does, you can never guarantee he will break out. They have a new offense that should be better suited for better fantasy numbers but will there be growing pains?
The Bears also brought in several new targets, if Miller struggles to pick up the offense, he could find himself below Allen Robinson, Trey Burton, Taylor Gabriel and Tarik Cohen in terms of targets, but if he excels, he could be the second-most targeted receiver on the team.
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It’s my belief, that you should always take more of the conservative approach with rookies when it comes to fantasy football. Putting too much stake in rookies is how your fantasy team quickly evaporates. Miller has all the confidence and skill in the world and could definitely become a favorite target of Mitch Trubisky, but until he emerges as a clear-cut number two, it’s best to be more conservative with your approach to Miller.
With fantasy, opportunity is always the most important aspect of success. Assuming the Bears are almost always in a single running back formation, that leaves four spots open for receivers and tight ends. Expect Robinson and Burton to be on the field the most and Gabriel will also get the lion’s share of snaps. I expect the Bears to run a lot of two tight end sets with Adam Shaheen and Burton on the field simultaneously, and you should also expect to see Tarik Cohen line up at receiver some as well.
That means Miller is going to see snaps, but he’s going to be seeing them rotating in and he’s going to have to earn more snaps as the season progresses. With as crowded as the Bears’ receiving unit appears to be this year (night and day compared to last year), it’s hard to see Miller having massive statistics as a rookie. Miller is most likely going to be a guy that stays on the waiver wire (unless your league is very deep) but if the Bears have any kind if injury issues, you should be quick to scoop up Miller.
Next: 2018 Trey Burton Fantasy Projections
If you are in a deep keeper/dynasty format, pick up Miller early, because he has all the tools to turn into a top-notch receiver for your squad.
Anthony Miller stat projections: 38 catches, 513 yards, 13.5 avg, 3 TDs