Who Should I Start? Ja'Tavion Sanders or AJ Barner

Tuesday, June 16, 6:00 AM

Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders has yet to make a fantasy impact in the NFL since coming into the league as a highly productive pass-catcher at Texas. The 2024 fourth-round pick missed five games in his sophomore season and ended the year with only 190 receiving yards on a paltry 6.6 yards per catch. Dating back to his time with Tampa, head coach Dave Canales has never had a tight end reach 50 receptions or 500 yards, and through his first three seasons, quarterback Bryce Young has yet to prove capable of supporting a high-volume passing offense. That said, if there is a tight end on the roster capable of spurring a philosophical shift, it is undoubtedly Sanders, with the rest of the depth chart built out by dedicated blockers Tommy Tremble and James Mitchell, along with 2025 fifth-round pick Mitchell Evans. At RotoBaller's dynasty TE40, there is still hope of a moderate third-year breakout for Sanders, but with two years remaining on his rookie deal, if the Panthers offense doesn't take a meaningful step forward in 2026, he could ultimately prove to be little more than a frustrating dynasty hold.