Sanders signed with the Panthers this offseason, and he's expected to be the lead running back in Carolina. Sanders is worth drafting as a No. 2 running back in all leagues as early as Round 4. Sanders is coming off a solid season in Philadelphia where he averaged 12.7 PPR points per game. He set career highs in carries (259), rushing yards (1,269) and rushing touchdowns (11), but he had career lows in targets (26), receptions (20) and receiving yards (78). With the Panthers, Sanders should be a three-down back, and the system and offensive line in Carolina should be favorable. However, the offense could struggle for the Panthers with rookie quarterback Bryce Young. If Sanders can see an uptick in the passing game -- he had at least 50 receptions in his rookie year in 2019 -- then he could emerge as a top-15 running back in all leagues, especially if he stays above 250 carries once again.
Panthers' Miles Sanders: Just misses TD on best run all year
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Sanders rushed 10 times for 74 yards and wasn't targeted in Sunday's 28-6 loss to the Saints.
Sanders popped free for a 48-yard run down to the one-yard line but lost a yard on the next play before a sack forced the Panthers to eventually settle for a field goal. His longest run of the season heading into the game was just 15 yards -- and the 48-yard scamper-- helped Sanders set a new season high in rushing yards, but he continued to work behind Chuba Hubbard, who rushed for 87 yards on 23 carries. Given Carolina's offensive struggles as a whole and Sanders' limited role, he'll be tough to trust in Week 15 against the Falcons.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Role shrinks under new coach
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Sanders carried the ball eight times for 23 yards and caught one of two targets for six yards in Sunday's 21-18 loss to the Buccaneers.
Deposed head coach Frank Reich had been using a timeshare in his backfield the prior two games, as Sanders saw 27 touches to Chuba Hubbard's 31, but that got tossed out the window under interim coach Chris Tabor. Instead, Hubbard got treated as a bell cow, seeing a career-high 25 totes and turning them into 104 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Sanders' first season in Carolina has been largely disappointing, but he had at least been seeing solid touch volume while healthy. That appears to no longer be the case heading into a Week 14 clash with the Saints.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Workload continues to rise
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Sanders rushed the ball 15 times for 28 yards in Sunday's 17-10 loss to the Titans.
Sanders' stat line was hardly notable, though he saw his highest carry total since Week 1. He had a near exact even split with Chuba Hubbard, though it remains to be seen if Sanders' inefficiency will cost him opportunity moving forward. Overall, he has 50 or fewer rushing yards in all but one game this season, and given the state of the Panthers' offense, touchdowns will be hard to come by.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Reintegrated into ground attack
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Sanders rushed 11 times for 50 yards and brought in his only target for two yards in the Panthers' 33-10 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday.
Sanders logged one more carry than backfield mate Chuba Hubbard, shouldering a rushing workload that qualified as his highest since Week 4 in the process. Sanders had seen just two carries in two of the previous three games, making his sudden surge in touches all the more noteworthy. While Sanders performed reasonably well with the opportunity, Hubbard averaged an even more efficient 5.7 yards per carry on his 10 attempts, so what the division of labor between the two will be in a Week 12 road matchup against the Titans is anyone's guess.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Forgettable night in loss
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Sanders rushed twice for minus-5 yards and brought in both targets for 15 yards in the Panthers' 16-13 loss to the Bears on Thursday night.
Sanders once again tracked notably behind backfield mate Chuba Hubbard in workload, logging seven fewer carries. While he enjoyed a modest pass-catching role, it did nothing appreciable for his fantasy output. Sanders opened the season as the clear lead back and logged double-digit carries in three of his first four games, but he's been at seven totes or fewer in the subsequent four contests. While there could well be further transition in the pecking order over the second half of the season, Sanders' fantasy outlook appears dim heading into a Week 11 home matchup against the Cowboys on Nov. 19.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Efficient with limited workload
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Sanders carried the ball six times for 39 yards and caught three of five targets for 22 yards in Sunday's 27-13 loss to the Colts.
Despite the fact that Chuba Hubbard saw more than double the touches that Sanders did, he out-gained Sanders by only six scrimmage yards as the former Eagle did well with his limited opportunities. Sanders' yardage didn't come on one big run either, as his longest gain went for only 11 yards. Hubbard has been the more consistent back this season, but if Sanders is fully healthy he could begin to reclaim a bigger role beginning with a Week 10 tilt against the Bears on Thursday night.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: RBs to Sit
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Sanders will return to action in Week 8 against Houston after the bye, and he missed Week 6 at Miami with an injured shoulder. Prior to sitting out, Sanders had gone two games in a row with awful production against Minnesota and Detroit, combining for 7.4 PPR points in those outings. Chuba Hubbard will continue to share touches with Sanders, and I like Hubbard as the better Fantasy option against the Texans. But none of the Panthers running backs should be considered as anything more than a flex option at best, and Sanders will be tough to trust moving forward until we see a more consistent level of production.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Logs full practice Wednesday
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Sanders (shoulder) practiced fully Wednesday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
Sanders wasn't able to practice during Week 6 prep due to a shoulder injury and sat out the Panthers' Oct. 15 loss to Miami, but with the benefit of a Week 7 bye, he was able to handle every on-field rep in the first session of Week 8. With his health seemingly back to normal, he should continue to split work with Chuba Hubbard out of Carolina's backfield, which amounted to 76 touches for 271 yards from scrimmage and one rushing score for Sanders in the first five games of the campaign.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Practicing after bye
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Sanders (shoulder) is on the field for Wednesday's practice and was spotted wearing full pads, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
Sanders missed the final game before Carolina's Week 7 bye, allowing Chuba Hubbard to get 79 percent of snaps and 20 touches in a 42-21 loss to the Dolphins on Oct. 15. While Sanders may return to his starting role this Sunday against Houston, he'll likely cede a significant portion of the backfield work to Hubbard, as head coach Frank Reich suggested Monday that he plans to take a committee approach between the two players, per Anthony Rizzuti of USA Today. Sanders has dealt with groin, shoulder and pectoral injuries this season and is averaging just 3.1 yards per carry and 5.4 per reception.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Out this week
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Sanders (shoulder) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
Sanders has already dealt with groin, pectoral and shoulder injuries this season, averaging 3.1 yards per carry while ceding around 40 percent of the touches and snaps to backup Chuba Hubbard. Coach Frank Reich confirmed Friday that Hubbard will get most of the carries Sunday, with Sanders now shifting his focus toward a return after the team's Week 7 bye. Reich also said the Panthers don't consider Sanders' injury to be anything long term, so it might end up being just the one game he misses.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Sidelined for another practice
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Sanders (shoulder) didn't participate in Thursday's practice.
The shoulder issue has kept Sanders off the field for both of the Panthers' first two Week 6 practices, seemingly putting the 26-year-old in danger of missing Sunday's game against the Dolphins. The Panthers will wait and see if Sanders can mix into drills in some capacity Friday before potentially handing him a designation for Sunday. If Sanders is sidelined this weekend, Chuba Hubbard would likely have a clear path to a three-down role out of the Carolina backfield.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: RBs to Sit
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It's clear that Sanders isn't 100 percent, and he missed practice Wednesday with a shoulder issue. He's also battled a groin injury of late, and his production has been terrible for the past two games with a combined 7.4 PPR points against Minnesota and Detroit. Chuba Hubbard played more snaps than Sanders in each of those matchups, and that might happen again in Week 6 with Sanders still ailing. It's hard to call Sanders even a flex play against the Dolphins, who have not allowed a running back to rush for more than 50 yards since Week 2, with only one touchdown allowed to the position over that span. If Hubbard starts for Sanders then he's just a flex play at best in most leagues.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Misses practice Wednesday
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Panthers head coach Frank Reich said that Sanders won't practice Wednesday due to a shoulde injury, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
Sanders had been listed with a groin issue on Panthers injury reports the past two weeks, but he appears to have picked up a shoulder injury during Carolina's loss to Detroit last Sunday. He'll have two more chances to return to the practice field ahead of Sunday's road matchup against the Dolphins. Chuba Hubbard, who led the Panthers in carries versus Detroit, would lead the Carolina backfield in Week 6 if Sanders is unable to play through the shoulder issue.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Fumbles in defeat
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Sanders rushed seven times for 32 yards and lost a fumble in Sunday's 42-24 loss to the Lions. He also didn't catch his only target.
Sanders overcame a groin injury to suit up Sunday, but he turned in another disappointing performance. While Carolina's offense as a whole struggled to move the ball for large spells, Sanders' second-quarter fumble led to a Detroit touchdown and marked the tailback's second turnover through five games. Sanders also hasn't topped 50 scrimmage yards in three of his last four appearances, tempering his stock ahead of the Week 6 game in Miami.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Avoids injury designation
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Sanders (groin) was a full practice participant Friday and doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game in Detroit.
Sanders took a slightly different path compared to last week, with back-to-back limited practices followed by a full session rather than a DNP on Friday. It's nonetheless possible his groin injury contributes to backup RB Chuba Hubbard getting more opportunities, with Hubbard coming off season highs for touches (16) and snap share (54 percent) in last week's 21-13 loss to Minnesota. Neither back is a high-confidence fantasy play with the Panthers heading to Detroit as considerable underdogs against a defense ranked first in rushing yards allowed (243) and second in yards per carry (3.0).
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Reps capped again Thursday
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Sanders (groin) was a limited practice participant Thursday.
For the third week in a row, Sanders is opening gameday prep with two straight limited practices, though he had been managing a pectoral injury Week 3 and has been tending to a groin issue for the past two weeks. Last week, Sanders sat out Friday's practice and took a questionable tag into Sunday, but he ultimately suited up in Carolina's loss to Tampa Bay while handling a season-low 43 percent snap share. If Sanders is able to practice in at least some fashion Friday, he could head into Sunday's game at Detroit without a designation, and he might also be in store for a higher snap share.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Sit Him (Lineup Decisions)
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If you start Sanders, you're hoping he finds room for a few long plays, perhaps through the air, and a touchdown. I definitely buy into the Lions run defense to keep Sanders grounded, and his playing time seems to be slipping away. I'd rather start Jahmyr Gibbs, Dameon Pierce and Najee Harris.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: RBs to Sit
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Keep an eye on the injury report this week with Sanders, who played through a groin injury in Week 4 against Minnesota. He played fewer snaps than Chuba Hubbard against the Vikings, and Sanders struggled with 13 carries for 19 yards and three catches for 13 yards on three targets. He's now been held to 43 rushing yards or less in three games in a row, and he's scored 7.7 PPR points or less in two of his past three outings. The Lions haven't allowed more than 43 rushing yards to any running back this season, including matchups with Isiah Pacheco, Kenneth Walker III, Bijan Robinson and Aaron Jones, and Walker is the lone running back with more than 10.0 PPR points against Detroit because he scored two touchdowns. Sanders is a flex at best in all leagues in Week 5.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Limited in first Week 5 practice
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Sanders (groin) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
Sanders tended to a groin injury in training camp and the preseason, was affected by a pectoral issue during Week 3 prep and again had practice limitations last week due to a groin concern. Prior to this past Sunday's loss to the Vikings, his snap share ranged between 58 and 64 percent through the first three games, but it dropped to 43 percent Week 4 as he managed just 32 yards from scrimmage on 16 touches. Overall, Sanders is averaging only 2.9 yards on his 54 rushes this season, which may be the norm for him until he's able to get closer to 100 percent. The running back will have two more chances this week to prove his health.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Low output Sunday
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Sanders rushed 13 times for 19 yards and caught all three of his targets for 13 yards in Sunday's 21-13 loss to the Vikings.
Sanders overcame a groin injury to suit up Sunday, but he struggled to make a meaningful impact. In fact, Sanders' 32 scrimmage yards marked his lowest of the campaign, and he's now gone three straight weeks under the 65-yard mark. Backup Chuba Hubbard wasn't much better, gaining 53 yards on his 16 touches, evidencing Carolina's continued offensive struggles.
