2025 Receiving Stats
REC
2
YDS
27
TD
0
AVG
13.5
TAR
3
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.
Logs 27 yards in Week 1
Sanders caught two of his three targets for 27 yards during Sunday's 26-10 loss to the Jaguars.
ANALYSIS
The second-year pro from Texas appears to be the Panthers' top tight end following the Week 1 loss, playing 39 offensive snaps -- 10 more than backup Tommy Tremble. Sanders drew just three targets Sunday but showcased his ability to make plays as a vertical threat, catching an 18-yard pass from Bryce Young. If Carolina's defense continues to struggle and forces Young into pass-heavy game scripts, Sanders could develop into a viable streaming option as the season progresses. Young will look to build on his performance Week 2 when the Panthers travel to Arizona.
The second-year pro from Texas appears to be the Panthers' top tight end following the Week 1 loss, playing 39 offensive snaps -- 10 more than backup Tommy Tremble. Sanders drew just three targets Sunday but showcased his ability to make plays as a vertical threat, catching an 18-yard pass from Bryce Young. If Carolina's defense continues to struggle and forces Young into pass-heavy game scripts, Sanders could develop into a viable streaming option as the season progresses. Young will look to build on his performance Week 2 when the Panthers travel to Arizona.
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
39.0Air Yards Per Snap
1.05% Team Air Yards
13.9%% Team Targets
9.1%Avg Depth of Target
13.0 YdsCatch Rate
66.7%Drop Rate
0.0%Avg Yds After Catch
3.0% Targeted On Route
12.0%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...
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
25 routes 3 targets
2 routes 0 targets
12 routes 1 target
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 Cardinals 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.
@ Cardinals
Sunday, Sep 14th at 4:05PM
Overall QB Rating Against
49.6
Cornerbacks
41.7
Safeties
53.9
Linebackers
70.1
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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
Listed as No. 1 tight end
Sanders is listed as the Panthers' top tight end on the first unofficial depth chart of the 2025 regular season, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.
ANALYSIS
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Standing out at camp
Sanders is "shining" at training camp, according to Alex Zietlow of The Charlotte Observer.
ANALYSIS
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Finishes rookie campaign strong
Sanders caught three of his five targets for 35 yards in Sunday's 44-38 overtime win against the Falcons.
ANALYSIS
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Held without a catch again
Sanders failed to catch his only target in Sunday's 30-14 loss to the Cowboys.
ANALYSIS
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Quiet in return
Sanders failed to catch his only target in Sunday's 22-16 loss to the Eagles.
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.