Derek Anderson

The Panthers' backup quarterback ever since Cam Newton arrived in 2011, Anderson actually made a pair of starts last season. One was due to Newton suffering a concussion, and the other was just a one-play fill in while Newton was being disciplined. After not throwing an interception through his first five seasons with the team, however, Anderson completed 36 of 53 passes for 453 yards, two touchdowns and five picks last year. Although he's a non-entity as long as Newton is healthy, Anderson wasn't his usually reliable self last season, which is inopportune considering Newton enters 2017 coming off shoulder surgery.

The 32-year-old Anderson joined the Panthers in 2011, the same year Carolina drafted current reigning MVP Cam Newton No. 1 overall. Anderson’s lone two starts for the Panthers came while Newton was injured in 2014, so unless Newton gets hurt again, Anderson will continue serve as Carolina’s savvy second-stringer.

Anderson filled in admirably for Cam Newton last season, winning both starts - his first since 2010 - with Newton sidelined for Weeks 1 and 15. Anderson, 31, totaled more than 500 passing yards in his two starts and didn't throw an interception in 97 attempts. A Pro Bowler in 2007 with Cleveland, the immobile Anderson lacks the added dimension of a dual-threat quarterback like Newton, but he throws a nice deep ball and can manage the game if called upon. The 10-year veteran is never far from action backing up Newton, who has taken almost twice as many hits as any other quarterback the last four years.

Anderson will serve as the Panthers' primary back-up to quarterback Cam Newton.

Anderson will be an experienced backup quarterback behind Cam Newton this season.

With Cam Newton firmly planted as the starter in Carolina, Anderson will only see the field if Newton goes down with an injury.

Anderson will be the No. 3 quarterback behind Cam Newton and Jimmy Clausen this season. He was brought into Carolina to be a veteran presence for the younger quarterbacks, so he will likely not see the field much, if at all, this season.

Anderson is a great thrower who has really struggled without wideouts performing at peak levels. In his 2007 season, Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow were unstoppable. But it would be foolish to deny that Anderson’s ability to deliver downfield strikes played a significant role in their success. Should the depth chart hold all summer, Anderson is the one backup you want to consider drafting late.

2008 was a lost year for the Browns offense and also for all those like us who forecasted continued excellence from Anderson, (29 TD passes in 2007 – his first year as a starter.) At press time, coach Eric Mangini indicated Brady Quinn has an early lead for the job, based on his offseason program work. But things could change in training camp as Anderson has a top-five NFL arm, far superior to that of the relatively weak-winged Quinn. Mangini tried to make a go of it with a QB with minus arm strength for years and found his ability to game plan with Chad Pennington too limiting. Quinn has the draft-pick and big-school (Notre Dame) pedigree, but the current regime is not responsible for rostering him. Anderson can attack all areas of the field, but made poor decisions last year and struggled with his accuracy (20.5 percent poor throws, which is off-the-charts bad). His sack rate doubled, as the Browns offensive line suffered injuries and struggled to jell all year. Braylon Edwards, of course, dropped a league-leading 16 passes, and Kellen Winslow missed half the year. That helped sink Anderson’s YPA to a putrid 5.7. The Browns are likely to be bad and to struggle defensively, so that’s a tailwind for Quinn/Anderson speculators. But both quarterbacks will have a very short leash, especially with strong-armed Brett Ratliff, the key to the draft-day trade with the Jets (which New York used to select Mark Sanchez), also looming.

He's the Tony Romo of this year’s fantasy draft class. Remember this time last year when the glass was half empty for Romo given the decline he suffered in the second half of 2006? We saw that as normal regression for an inexperienced starter and projected him highly. Anderson last year played at a 34-TD pace in the first half of the year and a 24-TD pace in the second. We're not saying Anderson should be drafted with the expectation that he'll put up Romo’s stats from last year. You need to discount him a little for the risk that he gets benched, given backup Brady Quinn's blue-chip pedigree. But Anderson has a freak at WR like Romo did; Braylon Edwards is that good – the rare WR who makes the QB better instead of vice versa. Kellen Winslow Jr. is always hobbled with the bad knees but is another stud receiver who can attack the hashmarks and occupy the strong safety. Anderson was ninth in the league in first down passing attempts. He’s good at generating TDs from the opponents 20-to-11 yard line (20 percent of attempts; 13 percent is average). Note also that his solid offensive line returns all starters for the second straight season – a rarity in today's NFL. At 6-6, Anderson not only has the great height to see over his linemen, but the ability to make all the throws. His Functional Arm Strength QB rating of 84.2 is just a little above average, but the Browns see this as a strength and attack that intermediate level of the defense with abandon relative to today's dink-and-dunk standards. Anderson is a solid bet to return the value of Carson Palmer with a price tag at least a round or two cheaper. He's the kind of guy you grab after you have two backs and a couple of receivers and ride to a fantasy championship.

Anderson will compete for the starting QB position in a crowded field.

Anderson is way down on the Browns' depth chart and is probably not worth consideration for anyone's fantasy team.

Anderson, a rookie out of Oregon State, will likely be the team's third string quarterback.