Who Should I Start? Noah Fant or Ja'Tavion Sanders

Friday, October 3, 1:27 PM

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said that tight end Noah Fant (concussion) will play in Week 5 on Sunday against the visiting Detroit Lions, according to Jay Morrison of BengalsTalk.com. Fant suffered a concussion in the Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings and did not get clearance to play in the Monday night loss to his former team, the Denver Broncos, in Week 4. He was able to return to practice this week, though, and he'll be available this weekend as the Bengals look to put an end to their two-game losing streak. Fant had a decent start to the year with 12 catches for 80 yards and a touchdown on 14 targets in his first three games, but he lacks any kind of real fantasy upside now that quarterback Joe Burrow (toe) is lost for most, if not all, of the 2025 season. Cincy should have a positive game script on Sunday versus Detroit, but Fant is a TE2 option to avoid.

Friday, October 3, 1:31 PM

The Carolina Panthers have officially ruled out tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders (ankle) for the Week 5 matchup on Sunday against the visiting Miami Dolphins, per The Athletic's Joe Person. Sanders will miss his second straight game after suffering the dreaded high-ankle sprain back in Week 3. High-ankle sprains can keep players out up to four to six weeks, so Sanders could end up missing a third straight contest next week against the Dallas Cowboys. Even before his injury, Sanders wasn't much of an option for fantasy managers in 12-team leagues. With Sanders sidelined in last week's loss to the New England Patriots, Tommy Tremble stepped up for five catches on eight targets for 42 yards and his first touchdown of the year. Tremble is known as more of a blocking TE, though, so expecting more relevant fantasy production might be a mistake. Still, he'll at least be in play as a TE2 streamer this weekend in a good matchup against Miami. Head coach Dave Canales said the hope is that Sanders is ready to go next week.