Ja'TavionSanders

News: 7 days agoSanders (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Browns, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Spin: A fourth-round selection of the Panthers in the 2024 NFL Draft, Sanders will be a healthy scratch for each of the first three games of the 2026 regular season. There doesn't appear to be a clear path to playing time for the Texas product, unless at least one of Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans, Darren Waller or Feleipe Franks were to be unavailable. Sanders' next opportunity to suit up is Week 4 against the Lions on Sunday, Oct. 4.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Sanders is back as a pass-catching tight end in Carolina, though he's unlikely to see a larger share of the target pie with veteran Darren Waller now in the mix. Sanders - a 2024 fourth-round pick - flashed as a rookie with a 33-342-1 receiving line while playing 55% of Carolina's offensive snaps and handling 9.1% of the targets across 16 games. He simply didn't progress in Year 2, posting a 29-190-1 line while playing 52% of the snaps and handling a 10% target share in 12 healthy games. Sanders has been an inefficient short-range target with little goal line activity thus far (four career end zone targets), placing the 23-year-old well off the fantasy radar.