The 2020 Miles Sanders Fantasy football value remains strong, as he's set for another 50-catch campaign. He's an early-round candidate in most formats, but how high should he be in your 2020 Fantasy football rankings? Here's what you need to know:
So which players are poised for breakouts, which sleepers do you need to jump on, and which busts should you avoid at all costs in your Fantasy football league? Join SportsLine now to get early 2020 Fantasy football rankings, plus see which WR is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big time last season.
Miles Sanders Fantasy ADP & ranking (via SportsLine's projection model)
No. 12.8 ADP
No. 11 RB (non-PPR)
No. 10 RB (PPR)
Miles Sanders Fantasy projections (via SportsLine's projection model)
207 carries, 934 rushing yards, 4.14 rushing TDs;
52.6 targets, 42.1 receptions, 428 receiving yards, 2.55 receiving TDS
172.6 Fantasy points (non-PPR); 214.7 (PPR)
Miles Sanders 2020 Fantasy outlook
The Eagles have a reputation for using multiple backs, so most expected them to select a running back to replace Jordan Howard at some point in the 2020 draft. Apparently, Philadelphia had no such plans. They seem content with their RB group as-is, which includes Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, and Corey Clement.
As such, Sanders is shaping up to have one of the most Fantasy-friendly roles of any back in the NFL for 2020. Over the past five seasons, the Eagles' RB group has ranked 7th, 15th, 13th, 10th, and 2nd in total Fantasy points. Sanders finished as the RB13 last year, despite ranking just 28th out of 29 qualified backs in PFF's rushing grade and 20th in elusive rating. Sanders ranked as Fantasy's RB3 from Weeks 11-16 with Jordan Howard out, despite not having a single game with a PFF rushing grade above 70 during that span.
As a rusher, Sanders was not good in 2019. Given his ability to make tacklers miss in college, there's still hope that he will improve on what we saw from him as a rusher in his rookie season. If Sanders can improve his efficiency as a rusher, he has top-five Fantasy RB potential in his second season. And if not, his contributions as a receiver are enough to keep him Fantasy-relevant.
Sanders was targeted 63 times as a rookie, and he is one of just seven rookies in NFL history to finish with 800 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards. Some other names on that list include Gale Sayers, Marshall Faulk, Edgerrin James, and Saquon Barkley. Sanders' 16-game pace as a receiver from the sample with Jordan Howard out comes out to 67 catches on 83 targets for 547 yards and 5 touchdowns. Only six running backs saw 80 targets in 2019.
That type of target potential and the allure of a three-down role in one of the NFL's most RB-friendly offenses give Sanders RB1-type of upside. The uncertainty surrounding his role in year two is enough for me to rank Sanders behind backs I feel more secure about like Derrick Henry and Joe Mixon, but I could see taking him over the likes of Kenyan Drake, Austin Ekeler, Nick Chubb, or Josh Jacobs if you're bought into his role. Sanders has higher upside than any of those four and similar levels of uncertainty surrounding his role. He's a risky pick at the back end of the first-round, but the upside is there for a Christian McCaffrey-like breakout if Sanders' retains the every-down role we saw him occupy late in the 2019 season.
