IR
Injury Lower Leg
Est. Return 2/9/2026
2025 Receiving Stats
REC
29
YDS
190
TD
1
AVG
6.6
TAR
34
Rest-of-Season Projections
2025 Fantasy Outlook
A fourth-round pick last spring, Sanders got the chance to compete for a starting job right away and wound up making eight starts in 16 appearances. He led all Panthers TEs in targets (43), catches (33) and receiving yards (342), though Tommy Tremble – who made 11 starts – caught two TDs to Sanders’ one. Tremble is the better blocker, which means Sanders is likely headed for another timeshare, with rookie fifth-round pick Mitchell Evans also trying to enter the mix. Of the three, Sanders is by far the most promising as a pass catcher, as evidenced by topping 600 yards in both of his final two seasons at Texas. He's not an elite athlete, having run a 4.69 40 at 6-foot-4, 245 pounds, but he's young for his draft class (turned 22 this March) and can make would-be tacklers miss in the open field. Sanders' success will partially hinge on the development of third-year QB Bryce Young, who finally showed some promise with a 7:0 TD:INT in his last three starts of 2024 after posting an ugly 19:19 ratio through his first 25 NFL starts. Read Past Outlooks
Signed a four-year, $4.89 million contract with the Panthers in May of 2024.
Officially placed on IR
The Panthers placed Sanders (fibula) on injured reserve Wednesday, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.
ANALYSIS
Sanders facing recovery from surgery to address a broken right fibula suffered on the first play of Carolina's loss to Seattle in Week 17, with the expectation being that even if the Panthers manage a deep playoff run, he will miss the remainder of the 2025 campaign. With Sanders sidelined, Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans and James Mitchell will hold down the fort at TE for Carolina. Across 13 regular-season appearances in Year 2 of his NFL career, Sanders secured 29 of 34 targets for 190 yards and one touchdown.
Sanders facing recovery from surgery to address a broken right fibula suffered on the first play of Carolina's loss to Seattle in Week 17, with the expectation being that even if the Panthers manage a deep playoff run, he will miss the remainder of the 2025 campaign. With Sanders sidelined, Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans and James Mitchell will hold down the fort at TE for Carolina. Across 13 regular-season appearances in Year 2 of his NFL career, Sanders secured 29 of 34 targets for 190 yards and one touchdown.
NFL Stats
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.
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Advanced NFL Stats
How do Ja'Tavion Sanders' 2025 advanced stats compare to other tight ends?
This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.
Air Yards Per Game
12.7Air Yards Per Snap
0.42% Team Air Yards
5.2%% Team Targets
7.2%Avg Depth of Target
4.9 YdsCatch Rate
85.3%Drop Rate
0.0%Avg Yds After Catch
2.9% Targeted On Route
15.9%Avg Yds Per Route Run
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2025 NFL Game Log
2025
2024
2025 NFL Game Log
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Panthers 2025 TE Snap DistributionLoading Weekly Snap Counts...
#4 TE
Panthers
How often does Ja'Tavion Sanders run a route when on the field for a pass play?
This data will let you see how Ja'Tavion Sanders and the other tight ends for the Panthers are being used. Some tight ends may have a lot of snaps, but they're not that useful for fantasy purposes because they're not actually running routes. This data will help you see when this is the case.
Ja'Tavion Sanders
214 routes 34 targets
121 routes 25 targets
11 routes 3 targets
257 routes 37 targets
Receiving Alignment Breakdown
See where Ja'Tavion Sanders lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.
Detailed
Grouped
Side
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This Week's Opposing Pass Defense
How does the Rams pass defense compare to other NFL teams this season?
The bars represents the team's percentile rank (based on QB Rating Against). The longer the bar, the better their pass defense is. The team and position group ratings only include players that are currently on the roster and not on injured reserve. The list of players in the table only includes defenders with at least 3 attempts against them.
vs Rams
Saturday, Jan 10th at 4:30PM
Overall QB Rating Against
76.8
Cornerbacks
77.5
Safeties
77.6
Linebackers
73.0
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2025 Ja'Tavion Sanders Split Stats
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Measurables Review
View College Player Page
How do Ja'Tavion Sanders' measurables compare to other tight ends?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
Height
6' 4"Weight
252 lbs40-Yard Dash
4.69 secShuttle Time
4.32 secHand Length
10.13 inArm Length
32.88 in
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Many prognosticators viewed Sanders as the No. 2 tight end prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft behind only Brock Bowers, but NFL front offices apparently didn’t agree, taking Ben Sinnott in the second round (Washington) and Tip Reiman in the third (Arizona) before Sanders landed in Carolina with the first pick of the fourth round. The slide could be a blessing in disguise for the tight end out of Texas, as his top competition for snaps is now fourth-year pro Tommy Tremble, who had fewer than 200 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons. Sanders, meanwhile, exceeded 600 receiving yards in each of his last two college seasons while competing for targets with a slew of other NFL prospects. And while not quite a burner -- he ran a 4.69 40 at the combine -- he showcased big-play ability last year with 12 catches of 20-plus yards, second only to Bowers among FBS tight ends. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound Sanders should instantly be the best receiving threat in Carolina's tight end room, though shortcomings in blocking and route running could curtail his playing time early on.
More Fantasy News
Has broken ankle, set for surgery
Coach Dave Canales said after Sunday's 27-10 loss to the Seahawks that Sanders suffered a broken ankle during the contest and is slated for surgery, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.
ANALYSIS
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Ruled out of Sunday's game
Sanders (ankle) won't return to Sunday's game versus the Seahawks, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Suffers ankle injury Sunday
Sanders departed Sunday's game against the Seahawks due to a right ankle injury, Sheena Quick of Fox Sports Radio 1340 reports.
ANALYSIS
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Snags TD in Week 16 win
Sanders caught both of his targets for nine yards and one touchdown in Carolina's 23-20 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday.
ANALYSIS
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Logs five yards in Week 15
Sanders caught both of his targets for five yards in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Saints.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Reshapes body in offseason
Sanders attended OTAs 10 pounds lighter and noticeably faster, Joseph Person of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Sanders was pushed by head coach Dave Canales to reshape his body following the 2024 season, and the second-year tight end committed by improving his diet. Canales noted after Tuesday's practice that Sanders "came back in great shape" and that he's "looking for a big year" out of the Texas product. Sanders showed flashes of his potential in his rookie campaign, but a neck injury in Week 12 against Kansas City hampered his production over his final five games of the regular season.
Sanders was pushed by head coach Dave Canales to reshape his body following the 2024 season, and the second-year tight end committed by improving his diet. Canales noted after Tuesday's practice that Sanders "came back in great shape" and that he's "looking for a big year" out of the Texas product. Sanders showed flashes of his potential in his rookie campaign, but a neck injury in Week 12 against Kansas City hampered his production over his final five games of the regular season.