If you drafted Puka Nacua in the fourth round of your rookie draft in 2023, you know how important it can be to buy low on a young player before they explode. Not every player will turn out to be Nacua – after all, he’s statistically the greatest rookie wide receiver of all time. But one of the smartest strategies to be a successful dynasty player is to identify young talent ready to rise up in value in the future. This series will suggest ideas for players primed for a breakout later down the line.
Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE CAR
Sanders was an incredible prospect in high school, where he played both wide receiver and defensive end. This led to him being recruited as a five-star and earning offers from schools like Alabama, Georgia, Florida, LSU and Ohio State – if the college had a football programme, they probably tried to recruit Sanders. He eventually committed to play football at Texas, staying in-state as a Texas native.
His college career was very solid, if slightly unspectacular. Once the staff had decided that he should play tight end, he eventually earned two All-Big 12 honours. Sanders’ background consistently showed in his play – despite very solid size at 6’4 250lbs, he consistently showed off his pass catching ability. However, his RAS only came in at 5.61 after a disappointing combine, showing off a lack of strength which would be prohibitive in the run game and as a blocker. This ultimately led to him dropping all the way to day three in the 2024 NFL draft, despite being viewed as a second-round talent through the early stage of the process.
Situation
However, he did not have to wait long to hear his name get called. Sanders was the first pick of the fourth round on day three, heading to Carolina to become a weapon to struggling sophomore quarterback Bryce Young (incidentally the last player to be featured in this series). This felt like a great situation for him – the tight end depth chart was murky at best with Tommy Tremble atop it, who is a pending free agent in 2025. Young had a difficult rookie season but still had potential as the first overall pick in 2023 and new head coach Dave Canales had shown a lot of promise in Tampa Bay to help develop this offense into something sustainable.
The wide receiver depth chart was also unclear. Coming into 2024, this featured Diontae Johnson, Adam Thielen and Xavier Legette. This could have complicated things for Sanders, who showed promise catching the ball through traffic and matching up against linebackers either horizontally or working down the seam – a similar area of the field to that where Johnson and Thielen had thrived in the past.
However, Sanders established a clear role in the offense as early as week five. From weeks five to nine, he saw at least five targets in all but one game. He was also able to record four finishes as a top-15 TE – not bad at all for a rookie with a crowded depth chart around him. He recorded three games with a Pro Football Focus receiving grade of over 70. Sanders was just starting to emerge as a clear option in the passing game when he hurt his neck in week 12. He has since returned, but is clearly not fully healthy, as he hasn’t caught a pass since then and has only played over 50% of snaps once. It is a disappointing end to the season for a promising prospect.
However, he was able to show some of his ability in that time. Looking at the underlying numbers, he had the seventh highest YAC per reception at the TE position and a 100% contested catch rate. He also saw the highest target separation rate per PlayerProfiler and the eighth highest “explosivity rating”. Yes, the sample is limited, but the signs are there of the player we thought he could be.
The main reasons to be excited about Sanders are threefold. Firstly, the promise he’s shown in 2024 on limited opportunities. Secondly, the development of Bryce Young and the offense as a whole in the second half of the season. And thirdly, the depth chart around him. Tremble is a free agent. Johnson was traded. Thielen is 34. Legette seems to be an outside-only player. The offense is opening up for a player like Sanders to succeed and heading in a fully healthy 2025 with an ascending QB, he’s on course to take that opportunity.
Value
Sanders is currently DLF’s consensus TE23, behind players like Michael Mayer and Luke Musgrave. It feels mad to me to rank him below players who aren’t even the TE1 on their own teams. Sanders has a much higher ceiling than a lot of players around the same value range, but also a higher floor if he can secure the slot role in this offense in 2025 and beyond.
Some recent trades for him are available below:
Conclusion
Tight end is an incredibly difficult position that takes a long time to master. Sanders is on a clear path to succeed and is a better receiver than people are paying attention to, purely because of another rookie whose name rhymes with Schmock Schmowers. This offense has a chance to not just improve, but actually be good. With an open depth chart and with all the talent in the world, Sanders can easily find a path to outperforming his current price.
Thanks for reading – you can find me at @FF_Pancake to tell me your thoughts on Sanders in 2024 and beyond.
You can hear more from Lewis on his YouTube channel ‘Fantasy Pancake’ https://youtube.com/@fantasypancake?si=U7BLlUCqY38dTsEv