Miles Sanders to Panthers: Fantasy Football Impact (2023 NFL Free Agency)

On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Eagles reportedly agreed to terms on a one-year deal with RB Rashaad Penny. On Wednesday, former Eagles RB Miles Sanders found a new home, as he has reportedly signed with the Carolina Panthers. Our analysts break down the move and take a look at the fantasy impact.

Get the FantasyPros News App for iOS and Android now

Panthers Sign Miles Sanders

Miles Sanders signed with the Carolina Panthers reuniting him with many familiar faces from his days with the Philadelphia Eagles. Duce Staley (former Eagles RB coach), Frank Reich (former Eagles coach) and Josh McCown (former Eagles QB) have all seen what Sanders can do, and that surely played a part in bringing him on as the team’s 1-for-1 replacement for free agent D’Onta Foreman.

At a minimum, Sanders will operate as the main back on early downs, while Chuba Hubbard and Raheem Blackshear split work on third downs. But I say at a minimum because those guys still have to prove themselves to the new coaching staff to earn substantial roles. Sanders has already proven his worth with these coaches before and last year when he finished as the RB10 in half-point scoring overall/RB13 in points per game from Weeks 1-17. He ended the year averaging just south of five yards per carry and scored 13 rushing TDs after scoring zero in 2021. His carries inside the 10-yard line ranked inside the top five among all RBs.

And when Sanders saw his best-receiving usage to date – 50 receptions for 509 yards as a rookie in 2019 – it was under Staley’s tenure.

The RB market is heating up, with Miles Sanders on his way to Carolina pic.twitter.com/l5h6PhjSoo

— FantasyPros (@FantasyPros) March 15, 2023

With Sanders’ uber-efficient rushing running behind an offensive line that finished 9th in adjusted line yards in 2022, I love this landing spot for him. His rushing alone should earn him production similar to what we saw from D’Onta Foreman after the team traded away Christian McCaffrey. From Week 7 onward, Foreman sat as the RB21 in total points and RB22 in points per game. He ranked fourth in the NFL in total rushing yards (852). But his path to back-end RB2 status was not consistent whatsoever. Foreman rushed for over 110 yards in half of the last ten games, while finishing with fewer than 40 rushing yards in four of his others.

His inconsistency was due to a lack of pass-game work causing him to be completely phased out of games that Carolina was out-matched in. But, I don’t think that will necessarily be the case for Sanders. He has the chance to be a full-blown workhorse with the four-year $25 million ($13MM guaranteed) commitment from his new team and to expand his role as a receiver.
– Andrew Erickson

Check out these other breakdowns of major moves: