Who Should I Start? Miles Sanders or Patrick Taylor

Saturday, November 23, 4:58 PM

The Carolina Panthers have placed running back Miles Sanders (ankle) on injured reserve. The veteran playmaker suffered a significant ankle injury during Week 10 in Germany. He had already been ruled out for Week 12, and now his placement on IR will hold him out for a minimum of four games. Sanders has appeared in 10 games this season, totaling 139 rushing yards, 98 receiving yards, and one touchdown in a backup role behind Chuba Hubbard. Carolina will proceed with Hubbard in the lead-back role and Jonathon Brooks (knee) slated to make his NFL debut as the No. 2 option out of the backfield.

Friday, December 20, 10:01 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Patrick Taylor Jr. is expected to draw his first career start filling in for the ruled-out rookie Isaac Guerendo (foot, hamstring) in Miami on Sunday. With Guerendo healthy enough to play, the undrafted 26-year-old Taylor Jr. received neither touch nor target in last week's loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The last time Taylor was involved was in Week 14 versus Chicago when he took seven carries for 25 yards, one touchdown, and one unfulfilled target. On the surface, Taylor Jr. may seem like a must-start since head coach Kyle Shanahan always rides his lead back heavily, but it's appropriate to temper expectations. If one includes Elijah Mitchell -- who was ruled out for the year in the preseason -- San Francisco is down to their fifth-string running back whose career YPC (3.9) is significantly below all four backs ahead of him. As a result, Shanahan may be compelled to use some combination of Taylor Jr., Israel Abanikanda, and Ke'Shawn Vaughn. Taylor Jr. is also less likely than his injured teammates to produce as a receiver. Miami's D is ranked 14th in running back half-PPR points against. The talent and usage questions place Taylor Jr. firmly in RB3/FLEX territory, even in a decent matchup.