Mohamed Sanu News

Mohamed Sanu

30-Year-Old Wide ReceiverWR

New England Patriots

2019 Receiving Stats

REC

YDS

520

AVG

8.8

TAR

2020 Receiving Projections

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YDS

AVG

TAR

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2020 Fantasy Outlook

If the Patriots are such geniuses, why did they trade a second-round pick for Sanu last year? In their defense, the wideout was hobbled by an ankle injury that eventually required surgery, so we probably shouldn't hold his meager production with the team against them. But even a healthy Sanu is at best a competent possession receiver, someone who reliably catches short passes and rarely makes big plays - only three catches of 20-plus yards last year, seven in 2018. With Tom Brady gone, the Patriots will turn to either late-June acquisition Cam Newton or untested Jarrett Stidham at quarterback. Either way, Sanu figures to be one of their top options, alongside 34-year old Julian Edelman and disappointing 2019 first-round pick N'Keal Harry. The upside here is 100-odd targets and 70 catches with modest efficiency and a handful of TDs, but that assumes Sanu is healthy and the Patriots don't view him as a sunk cost from which to move on. Read Past Outlooks

RANKS

#207.03

ADP

Overall

Wide Receiver

Bye Week 6

Height 6'2"

Weight 210

DOB 8/22/1989

College Rutgers

Drafted 3rd Rd 2012 #83 Overall

Comes off PUP list

WRNew England Patriots

August 4, 2020

Sanu (ankle) passed a physical Tuesday, causing the Patriots to activate the wide receiver from the active/PUP list, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

ANALYSIS
Sanu underwent a procedure on his ankle in early March to address an injury that plagued him upon his arrival in New England from Atlanta last October. During nine games (including playoffs) with the Patriots, he accumulated 27 catches for 218 yards and one touchdown on 52 targets, which is a far cry from his typical efficiency metrics. In three-plus seasons with the Falcons, Sanu posted a 71.9 percent catch rate and averaged 11.1 yards per reception. With the state of his ankle resolved, he can turn his focus to building a rapport with Cam Newton in the post-Tom Brady era.

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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 Mohamed Sanu's 2019 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

18.5

Air Yards Per Snap

0.71

% Team Air Yards

5.2%

% Team Targets

6.4%

Avg Depth of Target

6.6 Yds

Catch Rate

78.6%

Drop Rate

2.4%

Avg Yds After Catch

4.0

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2019

2018

2017

2016

2019 NFL Game Log

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Scoring

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PPR

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2018 NFL Game Log

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2017 NFL Game Log

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2016 NFL Game Log

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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart

Patriots 2019 WR Snap Distribution See more data like this

J.Julian Edelman

P.Phillip Dorsett

M.Mohamed Sanu

J.Jakobi Meyers

J.Josh Gordon

N.N'Keal Harry

G.Gunner Olszewski

A.Antonio Brown

M.Matthew Slater

% of Team Snaps

1065

596

424

422

323

263

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#2 WR

Patriots

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Receiving Alignment Breakdown

See where Mohamed Sanu lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.

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2019 Mohamed Sanu Split Stats

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Measurables Review View College Player Page

How do Mohamed Sanu's 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

6' 2"

Weight

210 lbs

40-Yard Dash

4.67 sec

Shuttle Time

4.22 sec

Cone Drill

6.88 sec

Vertical Jump

36.0 in

Broad Jump

126 in

Bench Press

19 reps

Hand Length

10.13 in

Arm Length

33.50 in

Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Mohamed Sanu

FanDuel Fantasy Football: First Look at Week 1 Stacks

3 days ago

RotoWire's Andrew Laird analyzes the Week 1 NFL slate on FanDuel by building blind stacks and comparing costs to the team's implied points. Will the Eagles deliver value?

Training Camp Notes: August 4

5 days ago

Mohamed Sanu struggled in his initial audition with the Patriots in 2019, but an ankle injury could be to blame. Activated from the PUP list Tuesday, the ankle should be recovered going forward.

2020 Training Camp Preview: New England Patriots

11 days ago

The Patriots' already notable offseason was capped by the signing of QB Cam Newton and news that six players plan to opt out of the 2020 campaign due to COVID-19 concerns.

NFL 2020: Using Vacated Targets to Identify Opportunity

25 days ago

The Brandin Cooks trade has mostly been discussed from the Texans' perspective, but the biggest fantasy impact could be a career high in targets for Robert Woods.

Job Battles: Jones vs. Vaughn in TB

31 days ago

Mario Puig analyzes job battles in Tampa Bay, New England and Las Vegas. For the Bucs, it's a complicated backfield battle.

Past Fantasy Outlooks

2019

2018

2017

2016

2014

2013

2012

Sanu quietly had a a career year in 2018 with 838 yards and 8.9 YPT. Of course, it's a modest career wherein he's never seen 100 targets, caught 70 passes or scored more than five TDs. But in a league where teams are increasingly spreading the ball around, you could do worse for your third wideout. At 29 and playing alongside likely Hall of Famer Julio Jones and last year's first-round pick Calvin Ridley, Sanu doesn't have much upside beyond 2018's showing. At 6-2, 215, he has good size but saw only six red-zone looks all year. And while he had two catches of 40-plus last year, Sanu is slow even for his size - he ran a 4.67 40 at the 2012 combine. The best-case scenario is the status quo - he's the clear No. 3 wideout in an above-average passing offense that doesn't throw a ton to its backs or tight ends, and as such has a decent floor.

Sanu is what he is at this point - a reliable, low-upside possession receiver in an offense that likes to run and spread the ball around. At 6-2, 210, and with glacial 4.62 speed, Sanu gets by on size, experience, good hands and the defensive attention given to teammate Julio Jones. Sanu doesn't get a ton of red-zone work (12 of his 96 targets were in that area) and has only two 40-yard catches over his last 46 games. For 2018, Sanu might still be Matt Ryan's No. 2 receiver, though first-round pick Calvin Ridley should push him for that role. Wideouts Justin Hardy and Marvin Hall aren't major threats, but tight end Austin Hooper could conceivably have a larger role, particularly in the red zone.

Sanu has a job, and that's not likely to change. Otherwise, there's not much else to say. As a complement to Julio Jones, Sanu posted respectable numbers in a vacuum for a possession receiver -- 11.1 YPC, 8.1 YPT -- but those don't look quite as good when you consider QB Matt Ryan averaged 9.3 YPA on the year. At 6-2, 210, Sanu has good size, but he's slow -- 4.62 40 -- and he's not all that shifty. Sanu is a good athlete, though, and theoretically has red-zone upside, but he saw only 13 targets in that area last year, catching four for TDs. With Jones back, Taylor Gabriel emerging as the team's all-purpose threat, two quality pass-catching backs and a diverse offense, Sanu's upside is fairly limited. Even if Jones were to go down and allow Sanu to see an uptick in targets, it's hard to see him being a viable No. 1, given his lack of speed.

Someone other than Julio Jones has to see targets. The Falcons guaranteed $14 million to Sanu, so expect him to be used more than an aging Roddy White was last year. With Jones drawing double teams on the other side, Sanu should benefit from single coverage, but even opposite A.J. Green in Cincinnati, Sanu was rarely more than passable (8.1, 8.0 YPT last two years). Sanu has only had four catches of 40-plus yards in his four-year career and runs a 4.62 40, so don't expect many downfield plays. At 6-2, 210, Sanu has enough size and athleticism to operate in traffic and could see red-zone work - especially given the team's lack of options (aside from Jones, 31-year-old TE Jacob Tamme and 5-10 Justin Hardy are next in line). But aside from being Matt Ryan's likely No. 2 WR, there's not much to get excited about.

As the less-flashy understudy to AJ Green, Sanu put up solid numbers in 2013, but he got surpassed by Marvin Jones in the Bengals' receiver pecking order and second-year tight end Tyler Eifert will probably start commanding more targets this season as well. Sanu's size and route-running could keep him in a possession receiver role, and out of the gate he figures to see added opportunities thanks to an injury to Jones.

After not seeing much action during the first half of the season, Sanu made his way into the starting lineup in Week 11 and scored three touchdowns the next two weeks. Then he broke his foot in practice and missed the rest of the year. At 6-2, 211, Sanu has good size and steady hands, but he's not especially fast. Now that his foot is healthy, he'll likely reclaim the starting job opposite A.J. Green and work shorter possession routes. He's also likely to see targets in the red-zone, but keep in mind Green and both of the team's pass-catching tight ends will be busy there, too.

With Andy Dalton coming off a promising rookie year, and A.J. Green sure to draw the bulk of the defense's attention, Sanu finds himself in a more favorable environment than most rookies. At 6-2, 211, Sanu has good size, but only average speed. The third-rounder is a polished receiver with good hands that did damage down the field in college but likely projects as a possession type in the pros. Jordan Shipley is also around, but he'll mostly work out of the slot, so Sanu should challenge for a starting job. Rookie Marvin Jones could also push for some targets, however, and there's always a chance the team brings in a veteran.

More Fantasy News

Going to PUP list

WRNew England Patriots

Ankle

August 2, 2020

The Patriots placed Sanu (ankle) on the active/PUP list Sunday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.