Miles Sanders is currently projected by ESPN as the 13th best running back in fantasy football. Sanders improved in every rushing category last season compared to his rookie year, including a stellar 5.3 yards per carry average. So what is his outlook this season? Where should you draft him in fantasy leagues? This is a Miles Sanders fantasy profile.
Miles Sanders 2021 Fantasy Football Profile
The Good
There are some statistics that show that Miles Sanders could break out this year. He actually rushed for more yards last year (867) than he did in his rookie season (818) in four fewer games. He was also on his way to having more targets in the passing game than he did last year (52 targets in 12 games compared to 63 targets in 16 games). Sanders doubled his touchdown total (6 TDs) while doing so in a Carson Wentz-led offense that looked terrible at times. Sanders was tied for second in the NFL with three runs of 40 plus yards last season, so his breakaway ability is tremendous. Entering his age 24 season, Sanders still has not reached his full potential.
The Bad
How optimistic can we be about Miles Sanders? The facts suggest not too much. First, the Philadelphia Eagles have not had a 1,000-yard rusher since LeSean McCoy back in 2014. Part of it is due to a lack of talent at running back, but also the organization simply doesn’t like using a workhorse running back. That shouldn’t change this year despite the coaching change. First, the Eagles drafted Kenneth Gainwell in the 5th round in this year’s draft. They also claimed Kerryon Johnson off of waivers and still have Boston Scott, a receiving back, from last year. It’s hard to believe that with so many running backs on the team that Sanders will get a ton of usage.
The other metric to look at is the Eagles’ offense as a whole. How good will they be this year? How many red-zone chances will Sanders get? Jalen Hurts will get his chance this year as the full-time starter, but let’s not forget that he is still an unfinished product. He didn’t complete 60 percent of his passes in any game this season and threw more than one touchdown only once. It’s a small sample size, but it is still risky to put your trust in him. With the Eagles receiving core also very young and inexperienced, and the coaching staff being new, it is hard to trust this Eagles offense this season.
The Verdict
Miles Sanders’ average draft position at running back thirteen according to ESPN is way too high. While he is still getting better as a running back, the situation he is in makes him a risky selection in the early rounds. There are too many questions marks about the Eagles’ offense and how much workload he will take on this year to draft him in the late first or early second round. With workhorse backs Nick Chubb, Najee Harris, Joe Mixon, and Chris Carson all being drafted around the same range, you are better off selecting somebody with more guaranteed usage this season than Sanders.
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