IR-R
Injury Hip
Est. Return 11/9/2025
2025 Kicking Stats
FGM
0
FGA
0
FG%
0.0
50+
0
XP
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2025 Fantasy Outlook
A disappointing 2024 for the Dolphins meant more field-goal attempts and fewer PATs for Sanders, who finished fifth among kickers in fantasy scoring, up from 10th in 2023 and 17th in 2022. The Dolphins hope to avoid a repeat and recapture their 2022-23 form on offense, in which case Sanders would trade back some of those three-pointers for one-pointers. Sanders went 12-of-14 from 50-plus yards last season, but his track record is otherwise middle of the road -- good enough to maintain job security but not to be discussed among the game's best kickers. He's entering his eighth season in the role for Miami, having played at least 16 games in each of his previous seven campaigns. Read Past Outlooks
Signed a five-year, $22 million contract with the Dolphins in February of 2021.
Timeline for return uncertain
Dolphins special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman said Thursday that he's uncertain if Sanders (hip) is close to returning to action or if the kicker will be activated from injured reserve this season, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.
ANALYSIS
After sustaining a hip injury late in the preseason, Sanders was placed on IR with a designation for return. According to Jackson, Sanders' original recovery timeline was expected to range from 4-to-5 weeks, but because he's now about six weeks removed from suffering the injury and not yet praccticing, the veteran kicker may have experienced some sort of setback along the way. The Dolphins don't appear eager to rush Sanders back to the field, especially with Riley Patterson having filled in admirably in his stead through the first six weeks of the season. One of the few bright spots for the 1-5 Dolphins, Patterson has gone 15-for-15 on extra-point attempts and 7-for-8 on field-goal tries, with his lone miss coming from 57 yards out in this past Sunday's 29-27 loss to the Chargers.
After sustaining a hip injury late in the preseason, Sanders was placed on IR with a designation for return. According to Jackson, Sanders' original recovery timeline was expected to range from 4-to-5 weeks, but because he's now about six weeks removed from suffering the injury and not yet praccticing, the veteran kicker may have experienced some sort of setback along the way. The Dolphins don't appear eager to rush Sanders back to the field, especially with Riley Patterson having filled in admirably in his stead through the first six weeks of the season. One of the few bright spots for the 1-5 Dolphins, Patterson has gone 15-for-15 on extra-point attempts and 7-for-8 on field-goal tries, with his lone miss coming from 57 yards out in this past Sunday's 29-27 loss to the Chargers.
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2025 NFL Game Log
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
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Sanders is solidly in the middle tier of NFL kickers; good enough to keep his job so far but perhaps only one ugly cold streak away from losing it. He was the fantasy high-scorer and a First-Team All Pro back in 2020, but since then he's finished 23rd, 17th and 10th in fantasy points, converting 80.2 percent of field-goal attempts (including just nine of 19 from 50-plus yards) and 96.4 percent of PATs. Sanders finished 2023 ranked second in PATs made (58) and attempted (59), but he was tied for 24th in made field goals (24) and 25th in attempts (28). Odds are his volume will skew a bit back toward FGs this year, though Miami's red-zone efficiency under coach Mike McDaniel is probably no fluke.
More Fantasy News
Likely out for Week 6
Head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters Wednesday that Sanders (hip) is not ready to return from injured reserve, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
ANALYSIS
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Remaining out for Week 5
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Tuesday that Sanders (hip) won't be ready to return from the injured reserve ahead of Sunday's game at Carolina, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
ANALYSIS
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Out at least four games
The Dolphins placed Sanders (hip) on injured reserve Tuesday, ruling him out for at least the first four games of the regular season.
ANALYSIS
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Not expected to play Week 1
Coach Mike McDaniel said Monday that Sanders (hip) is not expected to be available for Week 1 against the Colts, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
ANALYSIS
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Expected back by Week 1
Coach Mike McDaniel said Saturday that Sanders (undisclosed) is expected to be fine for Miami's Week 1 game against the Colts on Sept. 7, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Job security on shaky ground?
Sanders, who went 23-for-30 on field-goal attempts in 2019, could get some competition for the starting placekicker job via the upcoming draft, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.
ANALYSIS
It probably seems like just yesterday to Sanders that his own name was called during the third day of the 2018 draft, when Miami invested a seventh-round pick on him. However, it's rare for any non-elite kicker not to be confronted with competition annually, so Jackson's report that the Dolphins have had multiple virtual interviews with several potential draftees at the position in recent weeks isn't exactly surprising. Jackson makes specific mention of Utah State's Dominic Eberle (21-for-24 on FG attempts in 2019) and the Georgia's Rodrigo Blankenship, the latter who boasted a 6-for-9 tally on attempts of 50 or more yards during his four seasons for the Bulldogs.
It probably seems like just yesterday to Sanders that his own name was called during the third day of the 2018 draft, when Miami invested a seventh-round pick on him. However, it's rare for any non-elite kicker not to be confronted with competition annually, so Jackson's report that the Dolphins have had multiple virtual interviews with several potential draftees at the position in recent weeks isn't exactly surprising. Jackson makes specific mention of Utah State's Dominic Eberle (21-for-24 on FG attempts in 2019) and the Georgia's Rodrigo Blankenship, the latter who boasted a 6-for-9 tally on attempts of 50 or more yards during his four seasons for the Bulldogs.