Miles Sanders spent the first four seasons of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles and signed a four-year deal with the Carolina Panthers in the offseason. Sanders got better and better each year in Philadelphia but now looks to be the bell cow in Carolina.
Fantasy Football Analysis: Carolina Panthers RB, Miles Sanders
Last season, Sanders carried the ball a career-high 259 times for 1259 yards and 11 touchdowns. Since his rushing yards went up a lot, his receiving yards went down. He only caught 26 passes for 78 yards. At one point in his career, he caught 63 passes for 509 yards and three touchdowns. It will be interesting to see if the Panthers will use him as a receiver out of the backfield again.
Start or sit in Week 1 PPR leagues?
Sanders is a start. He will be plenty of touches, but he should also get some receptions as well. With Bryce Young making his first career start, the Panthers will need to make things as easy as possible for him. Sanders will likely receive a few check-downs and maybe a screen or two, giving him extra points in a PPR.
Start or sit in Week 1 standard leagues?
Start Sanders in a standard league as well. Sanders will receive a nice amount of carries tomorrow with how the game plan should be set up. With the Eagles last season, he averaged 15 carries per game, with Jalen Hurts also presenting the threat of the run. Young doesn’t present that same threat, so Sanders could see even more carries. The Panthers will need to establish the run in order to make life easier for Young, so Sanders should have a good day on the ground. The Falcons ranked 23rd in the league against the run last year. If Sanders performs like he did last season, he will be an RB1, no matter the size of the league.
Player(s) you would start ahead of Miles Sanders
If you’re looking at other guys to start in a PPR, take a look at guys like rookie Jahmyr Gibbs for the Detroit Lions, who is expected to see a lot of action as a receiver. There is also Kenneth Walker of the Seattle Seahawks, who rushed for 1,050 yards and caught 35 passes last season. Lastly, another player to look at is Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers. He is entering year three and is expected to have a huge season.