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RB Miles Sanders signed a four-year, $25 million contract with the Carolina Panthers this offseason. This is an impressive dollar amount considering the current landscape of running back contracts.
Carolina head coach Frank Reich spoke about the importance of running backs in his offense, using both their running and receiving skills.
Entering training camp, the former Philadelphia Eagle was poised to get the lion's share of backfield touches, making him a steal at his Average Draft Position (ADP). However, Sanders sustained a "little bit of a tweak in his groin" on August 10 and has not practiced since. Could this injury be worse than the coaching staff is leading on? If so, how should fantasy football gamers react? Let's find out.
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Miles Sanders' Injury History
This isn't the first soft tissue injury the 26-year-old has sustained in his four-year career. He has also dealt with a knee sprain, an ankle sprain, and a hamstring strain. These ailments caused him to miss eight games in total.
Eight games over three seasons is not unheard of in the NFL, especially for running backs. However, his current injury already appears to be just as, if not more, of concern to Carolina. Reich recently said, "there's a chance RB Miles Sanders (groin) won't play this preseason."
Although soft tissue injuries can often be played through, they frequently flare up and cause missed snaps or games throughout a season. A multiple-week recovery timeline is not great for Sanders and should be something that fantasy footballers closely monitor and plan to adjust to accordingly.
Does Carolina Have A Viable Fantasy Football Handcuff?
The former second-round pick has a favorable athletic profile with the requisite size to be a bell cow. However, for a multitude of potential reasons, he still had trouble commanding the majority of backfield touches with Philadelphia.
Enter Chuba Hubbard, Carolina's backup running back. Hubbard has a similar athletic profile and was a prolific 2,000-yard rusher at Oklahoma State. Starting from Week 10 last season, he earned 34% of running back carries and 54% of the backfield targets. D'Onta Foreman led the backfield during that stretch and has since signed with the Chicago Bears.
As the former OKST Cowboy gains rapport with rookie quarterback Bryce Young throughout camp, he has the potential to be this team's lead back to start the season. Not to mention that Young, who has a small frame and is not a prolific rusher, is likely to checkdown rather than scramble.
Does Chuba Hubbard Have Fantasy Football Relevance?
Hubbard is a great late-round pick in drafts right now. He has a path to start Week 1, if not longer, and earn high-value touches within the Panthers' offensive system. Even when Sanders returns, the former fourth-round pick could slide into the coveted third-down pass-catching role.
Sanders is an easy fade in the seventh round of drafts when you can get Hubbard in the 15th round on Underdog and at the FFPC while stacking talent at other positions. He's currently a top-tier handcuff entering redraft season as well.
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