Sanders (neck) was limited at Thursday's practice.
Sanders made an early exit from a Week 12 loss to the Chiefs due to a neck injury, which required a cart for him to get to the locker room and a hospital visit for further evaluation. He didn't practice at all last week before the Panthers ruled him out for this past Sunday's game against the Buccaneers. Sanders got back on the field Wednesday but was donning a red non-contact jersey, leaving him limited. One day later, he had ditched that jersey, per Joe Person of The Athletic, but Sanders' activity level remained the same. Sanders thus will have one more session to prove his health ahead of Sunday's visit to the Eagles.
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Panthers' Ja'Tavion Sanders: Practices in non-contact jersey
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Sanders (neck) was a limited practice participant Wednesday while wearing a red non-contact jersey, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
Head coach Dave Canales said Monday that he's hopeful Sanders -- who hasn't played since injuring his neck Week 12 -- will be able to return Sunday versus the Eagles. The rookie fourth-round pick didn't practice last week, so it's encouraging to see him back on the field Wednesday, but he'll need to resume handling full-contact reps in short order for a chance at returning to the field Week 14. Tommy Tremble served as Carolina's top tight end and racked up a season-high 77 yards on five catches (eight targets) in the Week 13 overtime loss to the Buccaneers while Sanders was sidelined.
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Panthers' Ja'Tavion Sanders: Out this week
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Sanders (neck) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Tampa Bay.
Sanders unsurprisingly hasn't practiced since suffering a serious-looking injury during last week's loss to the Chiefs. With his promising rookie season on hold, the Panthers figure to turn back to Tommy Tremble as their top tight end. Tremble played every snap on offense after Sanders' early departure last Sunday.
Coach Dave Canales said Monday that Sanders (neck) avoided a serious injury in Sunday's loss to the Chiefs, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Sanders was, in fact, in the Panthers' team building Monday, which is a good sign after he was taken to the hospital for testing following the injury Sunday. The Panthers still are evaluating if Sanders will be able to play next Sunday against the Bucs, but it does sound like the rookie tight end will play again this season.
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Panthers' Ja'Tavion Sanders: Ruled out of Sunday's game
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Sanders won't return to Sunday's contest against the Chiefs due to a neck injury, Alex Zietlow of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Sanders landed on his helmet at the end of a 10-yard catch and run late in the first half. Prior to getting carted off the field, he was placed on a backboard and had his neck stabilized, and the Panthers relayed that the rookie tight end was transported to a Charlotte-area hospital to be evaluated further. Sanders thus will end Week 12 with three catches on as many targets for 49 yards.
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Panthers' Ja'Tavion Sanders: Sleeper TEs
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Adam Thielen (hamstring) is expected to play in Week 12 against Kansas City, and we'll see what kind of impact he'll make in his first action since Week 3. I hope he doesn't slow down the momentum for Sanders, who was playing well prior to the Panthers' bye in Week 11. Prior to the bye, Sanders had scored at least 8.8 PPR points in four of his past five games, including his first touchdown in Week 10 against the Giants. He has a great matchup in Week 12 against the Chiefs, who are No. 4 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends. In deeper leagues, Sanders is worth using as a bye-week replacement, and hopefully, Bryce Young continues to feature him against Kansas City.
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Panthers' Ja'Tavion Sanders: Week 12 Waiver Priority List
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Prior to Carolina's bye in Week 11, Sanders had scored at least 8.8 PPR points in four of his past five games. He has a great upcoming schedule with Kansas City in Week 12 and Tampa Bay in Week 13, and hopefully he continues to earn targets despite the return of Adam Thielen (hamstring). In deeper leagues, Sanders is worth adding for 1 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Panthers' Ja'Tavion Sanders: Week 11 Waiver Priority List
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Sanders has scored at least 8.8 PPR points in four of his past five games, and he has a great upcoming schedule after Carolina's bye in Week 11, with Kansas City in Week 12 and Tampa Bay in Week 13. You can stash him now for 1 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Panthers' Ja'Tavion Sanders: Cleared to play
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Sanders (wrist/ankle) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Giants.
Sanders was added to the injury report Thursday as a limited participant before upgrading to full participation Friday. Fellow tight end Tommy Tremble (back) is listed as questionable, but a pair of full practices this week suggest he's likely to play, which could mean a reduction in Sanders' workload. On the other hand, Sanders' performance in recent weeks could mean his playing time is less dependent on Tremble's health. Sanders has played at least 70 percent of snaps in the five games Tremble has missed or left early, compared to 50 percent snap share or less the four weeks when Tremble has been fully available.
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Panthers' Ja'Tavion Sanders: New career high in receiving yards
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Sanders secured four of five targets for 87 yards in the Panthers' 23-22 win over the Saints on Sunday.
Sanders recorded a team- and career-high yardage figure with the help of a game-long 46-yard catch on the second play of the second half. The rookie fourth-round pick now has at least four catches and 49 receiving yards in three of the past four games, and with Tommy Tremble (back) seemingly unable to stay healthy for long, Sanders may be asserting himself as the top option at tight end.
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Panthers' Ja'Tavion Sanders: Struggles in Week 8
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Sanders caught his only target for seven yards in Sunday's 28-14 loss to the Broncos.
The 2024 fourth-round pick out of Texas appeared to be emerging as a reliable receiving option after catching 11 passes for 110 yards across the Panthers' last two contests. However, Tommy Tremble's return from injury in Week 8 seemed to make Sanders an afterthought in Carolina's offensive game plan. Given the Panthers' recent struggles on offense, Sanders is likely best left out of fantasy lineups in Week 9 when the Saints come to Carolina.
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Panthers' Ja'Tavion Sanders: Limited again Thursday
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Sanders (groin/wrist) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.
Sanders has logged back-to-back limited practice sessions while nursing a pair of injuries. He secured all six of his targets for 61 yards in Carolina's blowout 40-7 loss to the Commanders in Week 7, having yet again acted as one of the Panthers' lone bright spots on offense. If Sanders manages to suit up Sunday versus the Broncos, he'll work with Bryce Young under center rather than Andy Dalton (thumb).
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Panthers' Ja'Tavion Sanders: Sees five targets vs. Bears
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Sanders caught three of his five targets for 13 yards in Sunday's 36-10 loss to the Bears.
The Texas product tied Jonathan Mingo for the second-most targets on the Panthers during Sunday's loss. However, four of Sanders' five targets came after Tommy Tremble left in the second quarter with a concussion. With Ian Thomas (calf) expected to return from injury in the coming weeks, Sanders could see his snap share decrease. Carolina's tight end room remains relatively open, so if Sanders can impress during the Panthers' Week 6 matchup against the Falcons, he could have an opportunity to serve as the team's top TE.
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Panthers' Ja'Tavion Sanders: Compiles 16 yards in Week 4
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Sanders caught both of his targets for 16 yards during Sunday's 34-24 loss to the Bengals.
Tommy Tremble appeared to have reclaimed Carolina's No. 1 tight-end spot after outperforming Sanders in Week 3. However, the rookie from Texas caught two passes to Tremble's none in Week 4, so it seems that Sanders was more involved in the team's offensive gameplan. Sanders remains too inconsistent to be a viable fantasy option at the moment, but he's likely the Panthers' best pass-catching TE, and his role could grow as he continues adjusting to the NFL level.
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Panthers' Ja'Tavion Sanders: Struggles again in Week 2
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Sanders caught both of his targets for eight yards during Sunday's 26-3 loss to the Chargers.
Despite his limited volume, Sanders out-snapped Tommy Tremble (24 to 22) in the latter's first week back from a hamstring injury. The Panthers may have been trying to ease Tremble back in, but it's promising that Sanders continued to see significant playing time. Regardless of how much the rookie is on the field, he'll struggle to provide fantasy relevance unless Carolina's offense improves -- the unit has scored just 6.5 points per game across the first two weeks.