While the Philadelphia Eagles have struggled as a team, there have been bright spots, especially in terms of fantasy football. One of them is second-year running back Miles Sanders. Even going against solid defenses with issues along his offensive line, Sanders has been a solid fantasy option. The only thing that has stopped him this year has been injuries. With a matchup against NFC East rivals the Dallas Cowboys up next followed by a bye week, what should fantasy managers expect out of Miles Sanders and his outlook for the rest of the year?
Miles Sanders will miss Week 8 but should be back for Week 10
Eagles running back Miles Sanders (knee) has been ruled out for the Sunday Night Football game against the Cowboys in Week 8. Sanders will now miss his second straight game after going down with a knee injury in Week 6 against the Ravens. The move was expected, considering the team is heading into a bye.
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Sunday will mark the third game Sanders has missed this season after missing the season opener with a hamstring injury. In his absence, the team will rely on the combination of Boston Scott and Corey Clement to carry the backfield. The Eagles should also get some help in the passing game as rookie WR Jalen Reagor and TE Dallas Goedert have been activated off IR.
Miles Sanders has had a better year than people are giving him credit for
If it wasn’t for the lofty expectations placed on Miles Sanders in the fantasy community before the season, I think the view on his season would be different.
Even after missing two games, he is still inside the top 24 running backs on the year, and his 16.1 PPR points per game have him ranked 13th in the league. Honestly, that is impressive when you consider who the Eagles have played and the fact that the entire right side of his offensive line has been out with injuries.
He has carried the ball 71 times for 434 yards and three touchdowns on the season, along with 12 receptions on 25 targets for 91 yards. Sanders 6.1 yards per attempt is the highest of any running back in the NFL. The only players in the league with a higher yards per rush are QBs Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray.
In terms of fantasy points allowed to the running back, Sanders has gone against the Rams who are 10th, 49ers (second), Steelers (first), and the Ravens (sixth). The only time he was in a favorable matchup was against the Bengals, who are 16th in the NFL. Even after facing that gauntlet of teams, Sanders is still on pace for over 1,650 all-purpose yards.
When looking at Sanders season in terms of consistency, there are very few running back who give you results week in and week out.
The Fantasy Football Consistency Score (CS), developed by Phillip Caldwell, is an easy-to-digest metric showing how consistent a player is and how consistently that player scores high fantasy points. Simply put, the higher the consistency score, the more consistently that player scores high-level fantasy points. A lower number means that the player is either highly volatile or consistently produces low output.
On the season, Miles Sanders is the ninth-best running back in terms of consistency with a score of 5.93. It goes to show that even on a team that is struggling, riddled with injuries, or in difficult matchups, Sanders is one of the safest options at the position even if his season total says otherwise.
Miles Sanders fantasy outlook for the rest of the year
Moving forward, I think Miles Sanders is going to be an absolute stud. Looking at the rest of their schedule, they don’t play a top-seven defense against the running back until the Washington Football Team. Luckily, that game is in Week 17 and after the fantasy season ends. If you are playing on Week 17, I hope it is only DFS; otherwise, you need to change your league settings.
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Not only are the matchups better, but his team is getting better along the way. Outside of the 49ers, no team has been decimated by injuries more than the Eagles. Tackle Lane Johnson looks set to make his return in Week 8 and will be back for Sanders’ return in Week 10. Throw in the additions to the passing game like Reagor, Goedert, and eventually Zach Ertz, and we will see improvement by Carson Wentz, which opens things up for Miles Sanders. Once he comes back, Sanders will be firmly inside my top 12 running backs in the rest of season rankings.
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Tommy Garrett is a writer for PFN covering Fantasy Football. You can read more of his work here and follow him at @TommygarrettPFN on Twitter.