Sanders rushed seven times for 20 yards and caught all three of his targets for five yards during Sunday's 26-3 loss to the Chargers.
Sanders, along with the rest of the Panthers' offense, struggled during Sunday's affair, and the 27-year-old running back tallied just 2.5 yards per touch. Sanders was far less effective than Chuba Hubbard on the ground as well, as Hubbard recorded 64 rushing yards on just 10 carries. Carolina's offense has scored just 13 total points in the team's first two games, leaving Sanders' fantasy relevance in question as the Panthers prepare to take on the Raiders in Week 3.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Leading rusher in loss
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Sanders carried the ball five times for 22 yards and failed to catch two targets in Sunday's 47-10 loss to the Saints.
Sanders was slightly more effective than Chuba Hubbard in this one, but neither back found much running room, and the Panthers had to shelve their ground game early in the rout. The longest carry of the day for Carolina was a meager eight-yard gain by Sanders. A timeshare between Hubbard and Sanders will limit the fantasy ceilings of both players, but it'll be a step up for the latter after he mostly got phased out of the game plan in the second half of last season. The Panthers' offense will look to regroup ahead of a Week 2 clash with the Chargers.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Ready to rock
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Sanders (finger) practiced in full Thursday.
Sanders was listed as a limited participant Wednesday, but he's now fully shed his finger injury. The veteran running back looks primed to contribute behind Chuba Hubbard out of the backfield to begin the 2024 regular season, starting with a Week 1 matchup on the road against the Saints on Sunday.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Dealing with finger issue
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Sanders is listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's practice report with a finger injury.
Sanders will have two more opportunities to upgrade to full practice participation before receiving an injury designation for Sunday's regular-season opener against New Orleans. The veteran running back looks in line to handle a depth role behind Chuba Hubbard to begin the season, as long as injuries don't impact his ability to contribute. However, Sanders could slide further down the depth chart once rookie Jonathon Brooks (knee) is ready to come off the reserve/non-football injury list and make his NFL debut.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Behind Hubbard heading into Week 1
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Sanders rushed three times for six yards and wasn't targeted in Saturday's 31-26 preseason win over the Bills.
Sanders checked in for the second drive with the backups after Chuba Hubbard handled three carries with the first-team offense on the opening drive. Hubbard looks like the starter heading into the Sept. 8 season opener in New Orleans, but Sanders is likely to mix in occasionally, at least until rookie second-round pick Jonathon Brooks (knee) is ready to play. Brooks isn't expected to be available until Week 3 at the earliest.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Getting first-team work
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Sanders and Chuba Hubbard both have taken a lot of first-team reps at training camp, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Sanders became a forgotten man in fantasy circles following a disastrous first year in Carolina, with his value taking yet another hit in April when the Panthers drafted Jonathon Brooks (knee) 46th overall. Kaye refers to Hubbard as "the leader in the clubhouse" for the starting job but also notes that there's "legitimate competition" for backfield roles. Brooks is still on the non-football injury list after an ACL tear brought his college career to an early conclusion, while Sanders is back at full strength after a heel injury limited him during June minicamp. As bad as Sanders was last season, the Panthers have incentive to give him a second chance in light of his 2024 base salary ($4.02 million) being fully guaranteed. There's no major financial incentive to part ways with Sanders before next offseason, so a new coaching staff and front office in Carolina will at least give him a fair shake rather than handing things over to Hubbard (and eventually Brooks) without a challenge.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Dealing with heel injury
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Sanders sat out minicamp practice Tuesday with a heel injury, Alex Zietlow of The Charlotte Obeserver reports.
Coach Dave Canales said Sanders had something "flare up" with his heel, and he's missing practice time this week. Overall, it doesn't sound like a serious issue for Sanders, but he's missing valuable reps with his new coaching staff. The Panthers drafted Jonathon Brooks in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft to join Chuba Hubbard in the backfield, so Sanders looks like he's going to head into training camp no higher than third on the running back depth chart. His inability to play special teams would make him a tough player to have active on game days if that's the case.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Joined by rookie second-rounder
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Sanders faces competition from rookie second-round pick Jonathon Brooks (knee) for backfield work during the 2024 season, Joseph Person of The Athletic reports.
Sanders was overtaken by Chuba Hubbard down the stretch of the 2023 season, in which he logged a career-low 129 carries for 432 yards (3.3 YPC) and one touchdown, so the arrival of Brooks could impact his opportunities. First-year coach Dave Canales said the Panthers plan to deploy all three backs, and Brooks is working his way back from an ACL tear, so Sanders' primary competition for touches could be Hubbard to begin the year. It's easy to imagine a scenario, though, where Brooks earns himself a more solidified role atop the depth chart once he's fully healthy.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Disappoints in first season in Carolina
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Sanders carried three times for 18 yards across six snaps in Sunday's 9-0 loss to the Buccaneers.
Sanders was a major disappointment in his first season in Carolina after inking a four-year, $25.4 million contract in the offseason. After producing a career-best 1,347 yards from scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns for the Eagles in 2022, Sanders' numbers took a big step back while he moved to a dreadful Carolina offense. He finished the campaign with a career-low 129 carries for 432 yards (3.3 average) and one touchdown to go with 27 catches for 154 scoreless yards on 41 targets over his 16 appearances. Sanders' poor efficiency as a rusher eventually resulted in him falling behind Chuba Hubbard on the depth chart, with Sanders failing to log double-digit targets in any of his final four contests. With Sanders and Hubbard under contract next season, the two could be thrust into a competition for the starting role heading into 2024 while the Panthers bring in a new coaching staff.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Gets back to full participation
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Sanders (illness) was a full practice participant Thursday.
Sanders wasn't able to mix into drills Wednesday due to an illness, but it didn't impact his practice reps one day later. He's thus set to continue serving as Chuba Hubbard's primary backup Sunday versus the Buccaneers, but such a role hasn't yielded much production of late, as Sanders has managed just 43 yards from scrimmage on 16 touches over the last three games.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Tending to illness this week
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Sanders was held out of Wednesday's practice due to an illness, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.
Sanders has taken a back seat to fellow running back Chuba Hubbard over the last three games, earning 16 touches versus the latter's 56 during that span. His output has also been lacking during that stretch, as Sanders has totaled just 43 yards from scrimmage and no touchdowns. He has two more chances remaining this week to mix into drills before the Panthers potentially give him a designation for Sunday's contest versus the Buccaneers.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Gets four touches
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Sanders rushed two times for 10 yards and caught both of his targets for 12 yards in Sunday's 26-0 loss to the Jaguars.
Sanders played only 13 offensive snaps, marking his second-lowest tally of the campaign. With limited production to boot, he approaches Sunday's season finale against the Buccaneers with his stock continuing a downward trend.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Toe no longer an issue
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Sanders (toe) was a full participant at Wednesday's practice.
Sanders hurt his toe during this past Sunday's 33-30 loss to the Packers, but his full participation Wednesday suggests the running back isn't dealing with any lingering effects from the injury. He should continue to work as the backup to Chuba Hubbard -- who was a limited participant Wednesday due to a hamstring injury -- in Week 17 against the Jaguars.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Injures toe Sunday
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Interim coach Chris Tabor noted after Sunday's 33-30 loss to the Packers that Sanders is dealing with a toe injury, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
Sanders finished up the contest with three carries for three yards and one catch on two targets for five yards, while working behind Chuba Hubbard. The severity of the running back's toe issue remains to be seen, but Sanders figures to appear on the Panthers' injury report ahead of next weekend's game against the Jaguars.
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Panthers' Miles Sanders: Barely double-digit yards
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Sanders rushed six times for two yards and caught both of his targets for 11 yards in Sunday's 9-7 win over the Falcons.
Sanders' 16 offensive snaps marked his second lowest this season. With minimal production, he did nothing to cut into Chuba Hubbard's workload. Along with unseating Sanders as Carolina's starting tailback, Hubbard has totaled at least 92 yards from scrimmage in four straight games. That situation leaves Sanders' stock trending in the wrong direction despite facing a vulnerable Packers defense Week 16.
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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.
