Team news: Carolina Panthers | Page 39

Panthers TE Greg Olsen (back) says he plans to play Week 2.

Related players: Ian Thomas

Olsen told Reed his back got "jacked up" in the game against the Rams. Olsen added the short week, Thursday night game against the Bucs is "not idea" for his injury. Looks like Olsen will play but perhaps Thomas gets a few more snaps than usual.

It was his first NFL game, but that didn’t prevent the Eagles from showing that Miles Sanders might simply be their lead back this season.

While his numbers weren’t very good — 11 carries for 25 yards — Sanders did have a 21-yard touchdown called back and showed great burst on a 19-yarder earlier in the game. And he showed off his pass protection by standing up a linebacker against Washington.

The breakdown from this game should show you what the Eagles think about Sanders:

Miles Sanders: 36 snaps (48 percent)
Darren Sproles: 23 snaps (31 percent)
Jordan Howard: 17 snaps (23 percent)
Corey Clement: 3 snaps (4 percent)

It seems surprising because Sproles led the team in yards rushing with 49. Sanders did have TD run called back on a penalty, but it's worth noting that Sanders more than doubled Howard's snaps. The team did ride Sproles for a period in the game but it was Sanders who led the way overall. As the story said, it seems like the Eagles started the season wanting to give Sanders the majority of the workload.

“I believe the National Football League season is a grueling, grinding season, particularly on running backs,” HC Doug Pederson said Wednesday. “And if you don’t have a couple of guys that you can really hang your hat on, it’s hard to get through a season.”

Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders will serve as a 1-2 punch in the Eagles’ backfield. Veterans Darren Sproles and Corey Clement will weave in and out of the lineup as mismatch options in the passing game.

The story pointed to the team having both Ryan Mathews and Jay Ajayi recently and both saw committee action instead of having a lead back. We keep hearing that Sanders could eventually take over the lead role, but for now, Howard could see a bit more action because of his strong spring and summer. Still, others feel Sanders will lead the team in touches from the start. This is a situation to keep an eye on for those who own either of these players. In our PPR rankings, we do have Sanders (31st) ranked higher than Howard (45th).

Pete Carroll said DK Metcalf is "moving around this week" with hopes of a quick return. Too soon to know what that means for Week 1.

Related players: Tyler Lockett, David Moore, Jaron Brown, John Ursua

Metcalf had a minor scope on his knee about a week ago but seems to have a shot to play in Week 1. There isn't really a sure thing behind Lockett at this point, so if Metcalf plays he still comes with risks but could certainly see some targets. Moore has a broken arm and also is a big question for Week 1, leaving Brown and Ursua up next.