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Emmanuel Sanders
Emmanuel Sanders
32-Year-Old Wide ReceiverWR
Denver Broncos
2018 Receiving Stats
REC
71
YDS
868
TD
4
AVG
12.2
TAR
98
2019 Receiving Projections
REC
YDS
TD
AVG
TAR
Unlock Our Projections
2019 Fantasy Outlook
After a year in the wilderness with terrible quarterbacks and an injured ankle, Sanders bounced back in 2018 with an underrated season - a robust 8.9 YPT and four catches of 40-plus yards in only 12 games. Prorated over a full season, Sanders' numbers come out to 131-95-1,157-5. The Broncos were so pleased they exercised their option on his contract in March, guaranteeing $1.5 million of his $10.15 million salary for 2019, a strong sign they expect him to be their No. 1 target again. That's the good news. The bad news is Sanders turned 32 in March while rehabbing from Achilles surgery in December. He's on schedule in his rehab, running full speed at OTAs in May and avoiding the PUP list for the start of training camp. Moreover, while Sanders thrived with the mediocre Case Keenum under center last year, he'll have to adjust to newly acquired Joe Flacco, a player who's been on the downside of his career for half a decade. Throw in a new head coach and offensive coordinator, and it's a lot to pick up while not being fully up to speed all offseason at an age when most receivers hang it up. At 5-11, 180, and with 4.41 speed, Sanders has always been fast and quick, but keep in mind that 40 number was taken nine years ago. Should he return to full health, Sanders' main competition for targets is the untested trio of Courtland Sutton, DaeSean Hamilton and Tim Patrick - none of whom were overly impressive last season - as well as first-round rookie tight end Noah Fant. Read Past Outlooks
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RANKS
#115.53
ADP
#Subscriber-Only
Overall
#Subscriber-Only
Wide Receiver
Add To Watchlist
Bye Week 10
Height 5'11"
Weight 180
DOB 3/17/1987
College SMU
Drafted 3rd Rd 2010 #82 Overall
$Signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Broncos in September of 2016. Broncos exercised $10.25 million team option for 2019 in February of 2019.
Breaks long run
WRDenver Broncos
August 19, 2019
Sanders caught one of two targets for five yards and rushed once for 19 yards in Monday night's 24-15 preseason loss to the 49ers.
ANALYSIS
Sanders' first action since his early December Achilles injury saw him haul in a pass on Denver's first offensive play. The wideout then went for a long run around the right end three plays later, displaying his usual shiftiness in the open field. In fact, Sanders also connected with quarterback Joe Flacco on a 45-yard bomb toward the end of the first quarter, but that reception was unfortunately nullified by a holding penalty. Overall, though, Sanders certainly looked good in taking the field once again, building confidence in his stock ahead of the regular season, when it's worth noting that he doesn't expect to be on a limited snap count.
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NFL Stats
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.
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Advanced NFL Stats
How do Emmanuel Sanders' 2018 advanced stats compare to other wide receivers?
This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.
  • Air Yards Per Game
    The number of air yards he is averaging per game. Air yards measure how far the ball was thrown downfield for both complete and incomplete passes. Air yards are recorded as a negative value when the pass is targeted behind the line of scrimmage. All air yards data is from Sports Info Solutions and does not include throwaways as targeted passes.
  • Air Yards Per Snap
    The number of air yards he is averaging per offensive snap.
  • % Team Air Yards
    The percentage of the team's total air yards he accounts for.
  • % Team Targets
    The percentage of the team's total targets he accounts for.
  • Avg Depth of Target
    Also known as aDOT, this stat measures the average distance down field he is being targeted at.
  • Catch Rate
    The number of catches made divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
  • Drop Rate
    The number of passes he dropped divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
  • Avg Yds After Catch
    The number of yards he gains after the catch on his receptions.
Air Yards Per Game
75.4
 
Air Yards Per Snap
1.38
 
% Team Air Yards
21.4%
 
% Team Targets
17.4%
 
Avg Depth of Target
9.2 Yds
 
Catch Rate
72.4%
 
Drop Rate
5.1%
 
Avg Yds After Catch
4.4
 
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NFL Game Log
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Denver BroncosBroncos 2018 WR Snap Distribution See more data like this
% of Team Snaps
819
0
658
0
471
0
405
0
393
0
28
0
27
0
3
0
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#1 WR
Denver BroncosBroncos
  1. Emmanuel Sanders
  2. Courtland Sutton
  3. DaeSean Hamilton
  4. Tim Patrick
  5. Juwann Winfree
  6. Fred Brown
  7. Trinity Benson
  8. Kelvin McKnight
  9. Brendan Langley
  10. River Cracraft
  11. Steven Dunbar
  12. Nick Williams
Receiving Alignment Breakdown
See where Emmanuel Sanders lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.
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2018 Emmanuel Sanders Split Stats
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Measurables Review View College Player Page
How do Emmanuel Sanders' measurables compare to other wide receivers?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
Height
5' 11"
 
Weight
180 lbs
 
40-Yard Dash
4.40 sec
 
Shuttle Time
4.10 sec
 
Cone Drill
6.64 sec
 
Vertical Jump
39.5 in
 
Broad Jump
126 in
 
Bench Press
12 reps
 
Hand Length
9.25 in
 
Arm Length
32.00 in
 
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Emmanuel Sanders
2019 Football Draft Kit: Players on the Move
2019 Football Draft Kit: Players on the Move
17 days ago
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The NFL offseason was hotter than ever as a number of big-name players, including Le'Veon Bell, changed teams. Logan Larson analyzes the most significant moves.
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Job Battles: Bronco Prospects Making Noise
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27 days ago
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Best Ball Journal: DRAFT ADP Risers
Best Ball Journal: DRAFT ADP Risers
29 days ago
29 days ago
This article looks at five players with surging prices on DRAFT, including second-year Green Bay breakout candidate Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who's on the verge of breaching the first 90 picks in the ADP.
2019 Denver Broncos
2019 Denver Broncos
34 days ago
34 days ago
Andy Segedin takes a deep dive into how the Broncos will fare under new coach Vic Fangio, among other pressing topics.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
A Week 5 ankle injury largely derailed Sanders' season, so don't read too much into his career-low per-play numbers and meager fantasy output. That he played with three of the worst quarterbacks in the league didn't help, either. At 5-11, 180, Sanders is small, but he's fast (4.41 40), quick and agile. He turned 31 in March, but smaller receivers often age well, and he hadn't shown significant signs of decline before the injury. For 2018, Sanders' outlook is markedly improved. For starters, he's had an entire offseason to get healthy, and Case Keenum should be a significant upgrade over the trio of scrubs with whom Sanders played last year. Finally, the Broncos still have a narrow receiving tree - at press time, Demaryius Thomas is the only experienced player of note on their depth chart, though rookie second-rounder Courtland Sutton should work his way into the mix eventually.
Like Demaryius Thomas, Sanders benefits greatly from the Broncos' narrow passing tree. Without a reliable third receiver, no pass-catching TE of which to speak and with backs who catch passes occasionally but no one who specializes in it a la Theo Riddick or James White, the Broncos essentially target two players regularly every week: Thomas and Sanders. For that reason, even when the team had an elite defense and a below-average first-year starter in Trevor Siemian, Sanders (even with Thomas opposite him) saw 137 targets. At 5-11, 180, Sanders is small, but he's fast (4.40 40), exceptionally quick, runs good routes and has good hands. Despite his diminutive stature, Sanders saw plenty of red-zone work (22 targets, 4th), but caught only three TDs in that area. Sanders didn't make many big plays (13.1 YPC, 7.5 YPT, 12 catches of 20-plus and two of 40 or more), but that's likely on the Broncos quarterbacks as Sanders had six 40-plus plays with Peyton Manning's decaying carcass the prior year. The Broncos will again enter Week 1 with Siemian under center, but he'll be more experienced this time around, and new offensive coordinator Mike McCoy could add some life to the passing attack. The Broncos also drafted rookie speedster Carlos Henderson and signed Jamaal Charles, but neither should hugely impact Sanders' targets.
Like teammate Demaryius Thomas, Sanders' production fell off last year due to the precipitous decline in quarterback play from Peyton Manning. Sanders still managed 14.9 YPC and 8.3 YPT (a far cry from his 10.0 YPT in 2014) and, like Thomas, scored six TDs, only on 40 fewer targets and 12 fewer red-zone ones. Sanders increased his catches of 40-plus yards (six last year, four in 2014), but, more significantly, his catches of 20-plus decreased from 24 to 12. At 5-11, 180, with 4.40 speed, excellent quickness and good hands, Sanders is still capable of big plays, but the Broncos' offense was decidedly less explosive in 2015. While Mark Sanchez – or whoever gets the bulk of the team's snaps this year – will be a major upgrade from 2015 Manning; the days of the record-shattering Broncos offense are long gone. And if the Broncos' defense is anywhere near as good as last year's, Denver might find itself running more. Nonetheless, there's little depth beyond Thomas and Sanders, so a repeat of something approaching last year's target volume is likely.
Improvement from Sanders was expected in his new environment, but hardly to this extent. Paired with Peyton Manning, Sanders finished fourth in the league with 101 receptions, tied for third for catches of 20 or more yards (24), fifth in YPT and fifth in receiving yards. The 5-11, 180-pounder also saw 20 red-zone targets (T-10th) and 10 targets inside the 10 (T-7th). Manning and the Broncos aren't shy about using small, quick receivers from in close as they did with Wes Welker in 2013, and Sanders is essentially a younger version with more long speed (4.40 40) and explosiveness. Sanders' opportunity and red-zone upside are capped by playing opposite a target monster in Demaryius Thomas, and there's some chance Manning will drop off at age 39. But unless second-year man Cody Latimer takes a huge leap forward, the Broncos suddenly lack depth at receiver, and Sanders is virtually assured a sizable piece of the Denver passing game. The acquisition of injury-prone Owen Daniels to replace the departed Julius Thomas at tight end probably won't affect Sanders much, either.
Sanders enters a crowded situation in Denver with Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker and Julius Thomas the favorites to see most of Peyton Manning’s targets. But last year there was plenty of room for those three and Eric Decker, and now there’s a 136-target void to be filled. Sanders should see at least some of those targets, though the Broncos also drafted Cody Latimer in the second round. At 5-11, 180 and running a 4.40, Sanders is small, fast and quick, a completely different style of receiver than Decker and as such probably won’t see many of Decker’s 23 red-zone targets. But anyone projected for a significant role in Peyton Manning’s passing game needs to be considered, and should something happen to the 33-year old Welker, Sanders would be the favorite to take on his role.
With the departure of Mike Wallace, Sanders stands to inherit the Antonio Brown role. The problem is Brown is still around, and no one on the team is Wallace. At 5-11, 180, Sanders along with Brown are likely to form the smallest tandem of receivers in the league. Sanders runs a 4.4 40, and he’s got good quickness, so like Brown he's dangerous in the open field. But neither is suited to red-zone work, and with tight end Heath Miller still recovering from a major late-season knee injury, we'd have to think other receivers will be involved when the team gets near the goal line. Of course, third-round draft pick, Markus Wheaton, is yet another small, quick wideout in the Brown/Sanders mold, so maybe the Steelers are bucking the big-receiver trend on purpose.
A foot injury cost Sanders five games last year, but by that point he had already been supplanted by Antonio Brown as Ben Roethlisberger’s co-favorite receiver (along with Mike Wallace). At 5-11, 180, Sanders is small, but he’s got excellent speed, running a 4.4 40 at the NFL Combine a couple years ago and good quickness. With Hines Ward retiring and Wallace unhappy, Sanders could have an opening to take on a more significant role. But chances are he opens the year as the team’s No. 3 receiver.
Taken in the third round last year, Sanders progressed as the season went on, emerging as the team's third receiver behind Hines Ward and Mike Wallace. At 5-11, 180, Sanders has plenty of speed, but his lack of size limits his red-zone upside, and Wallace is the team's first option for stretching the field. Sanders broke his foot in the Super Bowl but is expected to be healthy for the start of training camp.
The speedy Sanders was taken in the third round of the 2010 draft. Considering the depth the organization has at the receiver position, he'll at best battle Atwaan Randle El for the third receiver spot. The number three spot served Mike Wallace well in 2009 (756 yards, 6 touchdowns), but with the team expected to run the ball a bit more this year, odds are whoever wins the day for the third receiver role will not match Wallace's output from last year.
More Fantasy News
Ready for preseason appearance
WRDenver Broncos
Achilles
August 14, 2019
Sanders (Achilles) is in line to play in Monday's preseason game against San Francisco, Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reports.
ANALYSIS
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Doesn't anticipate snap count
WRDenver Broncos
Achilles
August 13, 2019
Sanders (Achilles) does not expect to be on a snap count Week 1, Zac Stevens of BSNDenver.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Also underwent ankle surgery
WRDenver Broncos
Achilles
August 12, 2019
Sanders revealed Monday that he had a "tightrope" procedure on his right ankle in the offseason while he was recovering from surgery on a torn left Achilles, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.
ANALYSIS
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Preseason action likely
WRDenver Broncos
Achilles
August 12, 2019
Coach Vic Fangio said he expects Sanders (Achilles) to make an appearance during the preseason, Zac Stevens of BSNDenver.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Becoming Flacco's go-to target
WRDenver Broncos
Achilles
August 5, 2019
The chemistry between Sanders (Achilles) and quarterback Joe Flacco is developing, Ryan Koenigsberg of BSN Denver reports.
ANALYSIS
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