Fantasy Football Player Notes

Sanders missed time in training camp with a groin injury and didn't play in the preseason, but he returned to practice two weeks ago and is expected to be fine for Week 1. It's hard to tell whether we'll see bell-cow usage with Sanders this season. If we do, it might not come so soon after a soft-tissue injury. But this is nonetheless a pretty decent spot for Sanders. The Falcons gave up the eighth-most rushing yards to RBs last season and ranked 27th in DVOA vs. the run. Panthers head coach Frank Reich probably doesn't want his offense to be extremely pass-heavy in rookie QB Bryce Young's first regular-season game, so we can expect an earnest effort to maintain offensive balance. Sanders is best viewed as a midrange RB2 this week.

It's possible Hubbard gets a significant number of snaps this week if the Panthers decide to keep Miles Sanders' role limited following his return from a groin injury. It's also possible Hubbard will have some standalone value if this is more of a split backfield than most fantasy managers are suspecting. But for Week 1, Hubbard is little more than a contrarian play for DFS tournaments.