JA'TAVION SANDERS NEWS

Finds end zone in OT win Sanders secured both of his targets for eight yards and a touchdown in the Panthers' 20-17 overtime win over the Giants in Munich on Sunday.

Impact Sanders operated as the top tight end with Tommy Tremble (back) out once again, and he cashed in with his first NFL touchdown on a five-yard grab in midway through the first quarter. The rookie heads into a Week 11 bye with six receptions for 95 yards and Sunday's score over his last two games and should continue to enjoy a reliable role in the air attack down the stretch run of the season.

3 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Should be team's top TE in Week 10 Sanders is expected to serve as the Panthers' top tight end in Sunday's game against the Giants in Munich with Tommy Tremble (back) inactive for the contest, Darin Gantt of the tea...

Impact While Tremble has missed three of the Panthers' past four games due to the back injury and a concussion, Sanders has produced well in all three of those contests. He's logged at least 73 percent of snaps in each of those games while producing an 15-197-0 line on 18 targets. The first two of those games came with Andy Dalton under center, but the rookie fourth-round pick out of Texas showed a rapport with Bryce Young at quarterback in the Week 9 win over the Saints, finishing with four receptions for a career-high 87 yards.

3 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Cleared to play Sanders (wrist/ankle) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Impact 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.

5 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Added to injury report Sanders was limited at Thursday's practice due to wrist and ankle injuries.

Impact Sanders wasn't listed on the Panthers' practice report Wednesday, so the mention of two new health concerns may mean the cap on his reps Thursday is maintenance related. Fellow tight end Tommy Tremble (back) also was limited Thursday, while Feleipe Franks practiced fully but remains in the concussion protocol. As a result, the state of Carolina's TE room is up in the air ahead of Sunday's game against the Giants in Germany.

6 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

New career high in receiving yards Sanders secured four of five targets for 87 yards in the Panthers' 23-22 win over the Saints on Sunday.

Impact 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.

NOVEMBER 4 • ROTOWIRE

New career high in receiving yards Sanders secured four of five targets for 87 yards in the Panthers' 23-22 win over the Saints on Sunday.

Impact 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.

NOVEMBER 4 • ROTOWIRE

Struggles in Week 8 Sanders caught his only target for seven yards in Sunday's 28-14 loss to the Broncos.

Impact 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 gameplan. 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.

OCTOBER 27 • ROTOWIRE

Struggles in Week 8 Sanders caught his only target for seven yards in Sunday's 28-14 loss to the Broncos.

Impact 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.

OCTOBER 27 • ROTOWIRE

Ready to suit up vs. Denver Sanders (groin/wrist) was a full participant in Friday's practice and does not carry an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Broncos,

Impact Sanders is ready to rock for Week 8, a contest in which he seems positioned to operate as one of quarterback Bryce Young's unquestioned top targets in the passing game. Wideouts Diontae Johnson (ribs) and Adam Thielen (hamstring), the latter of whom remains on IR, are both ruled out versus Denver, while fellow tight end Tommy Tremble (back) is listed as questionable despite logging a full practice Friday. Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, David Moore and Jonathan Mingo will also be available to flesh out the wide receiver corps, but Sanders is averaging 6.0 targets and 41 yards per game in his last three appearances and could be Carolina's safest receiving option, though his production in those contests came with Andy Dalton (thumb) at the helm.

OCTOBER 25 • ROTOWIRE

Limited again Thursday Sanders (groin/wrist) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

Impact 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).

OCTOBER 24 • ROTOWIRE

Limited in practice Sanders (groin/wrist) was a limited practice participant Wednesday.

Impact He's a new addition to the injury report this week, after catching each of his six targets for 61 yards in a 40-7 loss to the Commanders on Sunday. The outlook for Week 8 isn't encouraging even if Sanders shakes off the health concerns, as he'll be catching passes from QB Bryce Young in a road matchup with a tough Denver defense. There's also some chance fellow Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble is able to return from a back injury this week and give Sanders more competition for playing time.

OCTOBER 23 • ROTOWIRE

Looks good with added opportunity Sanders recorded six receptions on six targets for 61 yards in Sunday's 40-7 loss to the Commanders.

Impact Tommy Tremble (back) was forced to miss his second consecutive game, allowing Sanders to be one of the few bright spots in Carolina's blowout loss. Across the last two contests, Sanders has recorded 11 receptions for 110 yards on 13 targets. His potential usage once Tremble is healthy remains unclear, but Sanders has taken the opportunity to show he can be a productive pass catcher as a pro.

OCTOBER 21 • ROTOWIRE

Looks good with added opportunity Sanders recorded six receptions on six targets for 61 yards in Sunday's 40-7 loss to the Commanders.

Impact Tommy Tremble (back) was forced to miss his second consecutive game, allowing Sanders to be one of the few bright spots in Carolina's blowout loss. Across the last two contests, Sanders has recorded 11 receptions for 110 yards on 13 targets. His potential usage once Tremble is healthy remains unclear, but Sanders has taken the opportunity to show he can be a productive pass catcher as a pro.

OCTOBER 21 • ROTOWIRE

Sets new highs Sunday Sanders corralled five of seven targets for 49 yards in Sunday's 38-20 loss to the Falcons.

Impact Sanders finished as Carolina's second-leading receiver behind Diontae Johnson (6-78-1) while setting new single-game highs in targets, receptions and yards. The 21-year-old Sanders more than doubled his season yardage total with Sunday's effort, which shows how little the rookie was involved in the passing game up until this point. Those in need of tight end help might look Sanders' way in the event he builds off of this performance against the Commanders next Sunday.

OCTOBER 14 • ROTOWIRE

Sets new highs Sunday Sanders corralled five of seven targets for 49 yards in Sunday's 38-20 loss to the Falcons.

Impact Sanders finished as Carolina's second-leading receiver behind Diontae Johnson (6-78-1) while setting new single-game highs in targets, receptions and yards. The 21-year-old Sanders more than doubled his season yardage total with Sunday's effort, which shows how little the rookie was involved in the passing game up until this point. Those in need of tight end help might look Sanders' way in the event he builds off of this performance against the Commanders next Sunday.

OCTOBER 14 • ROTOWIRE

Sees five targets vs. Bears Sanders caught three of his five targets for 13 yards in Sunday's 36-10 loss to the Bears.

Impact 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.

OCTOBER 7 • ROTOWIRE

16 yards in Week 4 Sanders caught both of his targets for 16 yards and no touchdowns during Sunday's 34-24 loss to the Bengals.

Impact Tommy Tremble appeared to have reclaimed Carolina's No. 1 tight end spot after out-performing 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.

SEPTEMBER 29 • ROTOWIRE

No catches in Week 3 Sanders failed to catch his only target during Sunday's 36-22 win over the Raiders.

Impact With Tommy Tremble all the way back from his hamstring injury, Sanders has reverted to Carolina's No. 2 tight end spot. The rookie tight end played just 26 offensive snaps and was held without a catch for the first time in his young career. For the time being, it appears Sanders will struggle to be fantasy-relevant due to limited opportunities. However, he could earn increased playing time in the Panthers' relatively weak tight end room as the season continues.

SEPTEMBER 23 • ROTOWIRE

Struggles again in Week 2 Sanders caught both of his targets for eight yards during Sunday's 26-3 loss to the Chargers.

Impact Despite Sanders recording just eight receiving yards in Week 2, the rookie out-snapped Tommy Tremble (24 to 22) in his 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 Sunday. Regardless of how much the Texas product is on the field, he'll keep struggling to be fantasy-relevant unless Carolina's offense improves from its current average of scoring just 6.5 points per game across the first two weeks.

SEPTEMBER 16 • ROTOWIRE

Struggles again in Week 2 Sanders caught both of his targets for eight yards during Sunday's 26-3 loss to the Chargers.

Impact 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.

SEPTEMBER 16 • ROTOWIRE

Quiet in debut Sanders caught his only target for four yards during Sunday's 47-10 loss to the Saints.

Impact The rookie tight end out of Texas saw increased opportunities with Ian Thomas (calf) and Tommy Tremble (hamstring) missing Sunday's contest. Sanders played 43 offensive snaps - 23 more than any other tight end for Carolina - but this still didn't lead to much production, as Sanders struggled along with the rest of the Panthers' offense. He caught a four-yard pass in the first quarter and was not targeted for the rest of Sunday's affair. Sanders was the Panthers' leading receiver at tight end in Week 1, but it appears that the team's offense as a whole will have to improve for Sanders to have fantasy value this season.

SEPTEMBER 9 • ROTOWIRE

Set for big role in debut Sanders could see increased opportunities Sunday against the Saints, as Tommy Tremble (hamstring/back) and Ian Thomas (calf) have been ruled out.

Impact Sanders won't face competition for playing time from either of Carolina's banged-up veterans as the 2024 fourth-round draft pick makes his NFL debut Sunday. Along with Sanders, the Panthers have converted wide receiver Jordan Matthews and Messiah Swinson available at tight end.

SEPTEMBER 6 • ROTOWIRE

First receptions as pro Sanders recorded two receptions on two targets for 22 yards in Saturday's 15-12 preseason loss to the Jets.

Impact The Panthers didn't play any of their starters in the contest, so the fact that Sanders was on the field doesn't necessarily bode well for his position on the depth chart to begin the season. That doesn't come as a particular surprise as tight end is a demanding position to learn at the pro level, due to the combination of both blocking and receiving demands. In the short term, Sanders managed his first receptions as a pro, a good first step in his quest to move up the depth chart.

AUGUST 18 • ROTOWIRE