Who Should I Start? Ja'Tavion Sanders or Mason Taylor

Monday, September 15, 3:25 PM

Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders tied for second on the team with a career-high six catches on nine targets in Week 2. Thanks to trailing by as many as 24 points in the third quarter, Bryce Young was forced to throw the ball 55 times. Sanders made the most of his opportunities, catching six passes for 54 yards in the contest. The involvement in the passing game is an encouraging sign, but we'll have to pump the brakes until the Panthers show they can consistently get Sanders involved in the passing game in a closer contest. In Week 1, Sanders saw just three targets. The Panthers will host the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3, who are coming off a stellar defensive performance on Sunday night when they held the Minnesota Vikings to just 120 passing yards. Sanders should be kept on the waiver wire, but it would be a good idea to continue to monitor his stat line moving forward.

Tuesday, September 16, 11:54 AM

As expected, New York Jets tight end Mason Taylor is far and away the team's TE1, although it hasn't amounted to much on the stat sheet. After leading teammates Jeremy Ruckert and Andrew Beck in snaps by a wide margin in their loss to the Steelers in Week 1, the same was true in their outing with the Buffalo Bills. Ruckert (17) again played half as much as Taylor (34), with Beck mixing in minimally (one). However, Taylor and Ruckert mimicked each other's production with a one-catch, five-yard line - the only difference being that the former accrued one more target (two) and the latter a touchdown. The favorable bet seems to be that the rookie continues to lead this room in playing time. He'll have a chance to carve out a role in the passing game, considering the Jets' skill players don't offer much behind wide receiver Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall. Still, fantasy managers can't take the LSU product seriously for starting purposes until he averages more than one catch per appearance. He'll face the hosting Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday.