Miles Sanders injury update: Latest on Panthers RB for fantasy football Week 1

A couple of years ago, Miles Sanders flew under the radar in a lot of fantasy football leagues. Now with the Carolina Panthers, he's getting serious attention from fantasy managers, and has been often drafted as high as the second round.

One issue, as fantasy owners will attest to, is his injury history. Here's a look at what's going on with the Panthers running back.

Miles Sanders injury update

The running back is listed as questionable for Week 1 against Atlanta. His groin appears to be the issue, putting his availability in jeopardy.

Sanders returned to practice on August 22 and appears to have been training since.

Although fans are nervous that the injury could impact his availability, Miles Sanders has no such doubts.

In his words, he will "absolutely" be ready to roll against Desmond Ridder and the Atlanta Falcons.

However, it isn't up to him to make the final decision on whether he'll be ready to play.

What happened to Miles Sanders?

The Panthers running back suffered a groin injury on August 10, putting him on the injury report. He missed about 12 days before practicing again on August 22. It is unclear what the extent of the injury was, but the pattern appears consistent with a groin pull and if that is the case, the long-term impact should be negligible.

The timing might not affect the team too much, but it has been a stressful time for fantasy football managers in the midst of drafting their teams. Running back is a difficult position to gauge as the number of bell-cow rushers is dwindling on a yearly basis. Sanders isn't quite one of those, but barring any setbacks, 1000 yards could be in his future.

When will Miles Sanders return?

The Carolina Panthers running back is set to be ready for the Week 1 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, September 10 at 1:00 p.m. EST. He's listed as the number one running back on the team's depth chart, and should get the bulk of the work on Sunday.

Behind him will be Chuba Hubbard and Raheem Blackshear. Hubbard is still a youthful running back and will be his chief competition. With the backfield being entirely redone this offseason, expect a bit of unpredictability early on as the team settles in. This being a divisional matchup, expect a tight contest and more opportunities for the running back to get involved.

With it being rookie quarterback Bryce Young's first-ever regular-season start, the running backs should also be leaned on heavily. The most obvious way that Sanders sees his usage dwindle would be if Bijan Robinson lives up to his draft stock and gets the Falcons out to an early lead.

If that doesn't happen, expect a decent point haul from Sanders in Week 1.