Miles Sanders entered free agency as the top running back on the market, and now he has found a new home. After spending the first four seasons of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles, Sanders is now taking his talents to the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers paid him like a top back, giving him a four-year, $25 million deal with $13 million guaranteed.
Sanders had been a productive back before, but he took his game to a new level in 2022. He played all 17 games, starting 15 of them, and had 259 carries for 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns. He then had 35 more carries for 148 yards and two touchdowns in the playoffs, helping the Eagles nearly win Super Bowl LVII.
It will be interesting to see how well Sanders adjusts to his new home in Carolina. The Panthers' roster simply isn't as good as the Eagles', but that could allow Sanders to get a bigger workload. On top of that, the Panthers' offseason is still a work in progress, and that includes presumably taking a quarterback with the first overall pick in the draft.
Needless to say, this move will have a big impact on Sanders' Fantasy Football stock. With that said, here are three bold Fantasy Football predictions for Sanders in 2023.
3. Sanders still rushes for over 1,000 yards
As tempting as it is to say that Sanders will set a new career-high in rushing yards, it is also pretty improbable. While the Panthers' roster is overall worse than the Eagles' the one area that exemplifies that is the offensive line. The Eagles had the best offensive line in football last season, particularly excelling at run-blocking, while the Panthers' was below average at best. Granted, the line should improve as 2022 sixth overall pick Ikem Ekwonu develops, but it's still an overall downgrade.
That said, Miles Sanders should still be able to reach 1,000 yards with ease. Carolina had the 10th-best rushing offense in the league last season, averaging 130 yards per game. That's in spite of not having a star running back after the Christian McCaffrey trade early in the season. If D'Onta Foreman can rush for 914 yards in 2022, Sanders should easily hit 1,000 in 2023.
Additionally, Sanders' fit and workload could depend on who the Panthers' quarterback is. If they take a pocket passer like C.J. Stroud, then Sanders could get a bigger workload as a traditional, pro-style running back. If they take the mobile Anthony Richardson, though, then they could get more creative with the run game, but it could reduce Sanders' workload with the quarterback running so much. Either way, another 1,000-yard season should be in the cards.
2. Sanders gets more involved in the passing game
Sanders has a lot of strengths as a running back, but he hasn't been particularly effective in the passing game. It wasn't always this way, though, as he had 50 receptions for 509 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie in 2019. However, he has not had over 200 receiving yards in a season since and also hasn't scored a single receiving touchdown in that time.
After trading away McCaffrey, Carolina lacked a true receiving threat out of the backfield. Foreman had just five catches for 26 yards all season, while Chuba Hubbard wasn't much better with 14 catches for 171 yards.
Perhaps Carolina could use Sanders more in the passing game to help make up for that loss. New head coach Frank Reich did utilize running backs in the passing game in his time in Indianapolis after all. If Sanders' rookie season is any indication, then he can be a quality receiving back in the right situation.
1. Sanders finishes the season as a top-10 fantasy running back again
With his great season in 2022, Miles Sanders finished as a top-10 fantasy running back for the first time, placing 10th. He scored 196.7 fantasy points last season, more than backs like Aaron Jones and Najee Harris. Sanders' strong season wasn't just great for him and the Eagles, but for fantasy owners as well.
If all goes according to plan, then Sanders could repeat as a top-10 fantasy back. Even if his rushing stats decline a bit, a bigger workload in the passing game could help mitigate that loss. Some backs who scored more than Sanders could also regress, leaving the door open for him to climb the ranks.
Obviously, there are a lot of ifs in this scenario, but it is certainly possible. Sanders is a very talented player and has all the tools to continue being an elite running back. If he makes the adjustment to Carolina smoothly, another great season awaits.
Follow Us
Subscribe