Who Should I Start? Ja'Tavion Sanders or Harold Fannin Jr.

Sunday, December 28, 5:08 PM

Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders (ankle) suffered a broken ankle during Sunday's Week 17 loss against the Seattle Seahawks, according to head coach Dave Kanales. He will undergo surgery during the upcoming week. This injury will shut down Sanders for the final week of the regular season and presumably all of the playoffs, should Carolina qualify. He ends the year with just 29 catches for 190 yards and one touchdown through 13 games. It was a disappointing campaign for the tight end out of Texas, who showed promise as a rookie but evidently wasn't able to take a second-year leap in 2025. Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans, and James Mitchell will step up as the Panthers' top tight ends going forward.

Tuesday, January 27, 6:08 PM

Cleveland Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr. exceeded all expectations in his first year in the NFL after being taken in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Bowling Green. Fannin quickly proved that he could hold his own at the next level, and he finished with 72 catches for 731 yards and six touchdowns on 107 targets in 16 games. The 21-year-old led the Browns in catches, targets, receiving yards, and touchdowns, and he quickly surpassed David Njoku as Cleveland's go-to pass-catching tight end. A whole new coaching staff is coming to Cleveland for the 2026 season, but regardless, Fannin should have a major role in the passing attack going into his sophomore campaign. If David Njoku, who is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in March, doesn't come back, Fannin's fantasy upside will soar even higher. After his rookie breakout in 2025, expect Fannin to be a popular TE1 selection in fantasy drafts this fall.