Emmanuel Sanders

Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders was a question mark going into last week’s preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks, and he’s a question mark going into Sunday’s preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Sanders, who had sat out Monday’s practice before participating in Tuesday’s and Thursday’s work, was held out of Friday’s morning practice with a thigh injury.

Sanders was the #35 WR in 2013, when he saw WR2 targets (112) for the Steelers. Eric Decker (138) and Wes Welker (111) saw a combined 249 targets as Denver's WR2 and WR3. With Decker gone, Welker (and TE Julius Thomas) could see a bit more work, but Sanders should be stepping into a big role. As OC Adam Gase said, Sanders is a good fit for his system and is versatile to play both inside and outside. He is very quick and is adept at making people miss, so he should thrive in Denver’s screen game. Quad injuries usually aren't a big deal; we expect he'll get some rest and be ready to go later in camp.