Miles Sanders' fantasy value plummeted when he left the Philadelphia Eagles to sign with the Carolina Panthers this past offseason.
In the first two weeks of the season, Eagles running backs have been dominating, while Sanders struggles behind a weak offensive line. He is only averaging 57.5 yards per game, almost twenty yards fewer than he averaged last season, and he has yet to score a touchdown.
Sanders has gone from being the RB10 in standard scoring last season to just the RB31 through two games. That's still RB3-level production, and it could be good enough to start in one of your FLEX spots. But you can't start him if he doesn't play. What's Sanders' injury status going into Week 3?
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Miles Sanders Injury Update
Sanders (pectoral) logged a limited practice on Wednesday ahead of a Week 3 showdown with the divisional rival Saints. Limited practices on Wednesdays are not major signs of concern. NFL players get banged up all season long and often rest early in the week. It will only become a concern if he continues to be limited on Thursday and especially Friday.
Speculation is that Sanders might have suffered the injury during the loss to the Saints in Week 2. In that game, Sanders played 37 snaps and took 14 carries for 43 yards. Averaging just 3.07 yards per carry was a disappointment, but it came against a tough New Orleans defense.
Will Miles Sanders Be Ready For Week 3?
Sanders played on Monday Night Football, meaning he has had one less day of rest than other players, which is not ideal. That said, the injury to Sanders does not appear to be serious.
The bigger problem for Sanders is that the Panthers offense looks anemic. Rookie quarterback Bryce Young has not looked good, but Sanders said there is blame to go around. "We got to look at the film. It's not just one position or one person on offense. It's the whole offense," he said in an interview with ESPN. You should feel comfortable starting Sanders in Week 3 unless he is unexpectedly ruled out.
Miles Sanders Week 3 Fantasy Football Outlook
The Carolina Panthers play the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3. Running backs have been scoring a lot of touchdowns against the Seahawks--four in the first two weeks. That has pushed RB scoring against the Seattle defense to No. 8 in the fantasy world.
However, if you look at yardage, the Seahawks have allowed the 15th-most yards to opposing fantasy RBs. The Panthers' offense is so bad they might not score many touchdowns against the Seahawks, so that doesn't bode well for Sanders' Week 3 outlook.
Moreover, Seattle's pass defense has been vulnerable, allowing the third-most yards to opposing quarterbacks. This could set up for a game where the Panthers try to throw the ball. The Panthers offense isn't a pretty one in any matchup, and last week's matchup wasn't good for Sanders, either, but he still did enough to put up 4.7 fantasy points in standard leagues. He might not be the sexiest option, but Sanders is worth consideration in your FLEX1 or FLEX2 spot.
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