It’s officially summertime, which means NFL training camps are in full swing and important depth chart battles have begun. With the fantasy football draft season here, you need the 411 on which camp battles are the most important to monitor across the NFL.
In an effort to help educate you, the fantasy football fanatic, I’ll be researching the most important camp competitions at each of the four major offensive skill positions ahead of 2024 fantasy drafts: Quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends.
Let’s start things off with the field generals. I’ve included the current odds for each of these quarterbacks to play the first Week 1 Snap, according to DraftKings.
Steelers: Russell Wilson (-750) vs. Justin Fields (+450)
Wilson is heavily favored to be the Steelers starter, so much so that it might be worth a flier on Fields. Based on the average draft position (ADP) data at the , however, Wilson is going just three spots ahead of him. Obviously, Fields is the better fantasy option based on his youth and running skills, but he shouldn’t be more than a QB3 in fantasy drafts. Wilson holds shaky QB2 value in the Steel City.
Vikings: Sam Darnold (-500) vs. J.J. McCarthy (+300)
Las Vegas and the fantasy community are at odds when it comes to predicting the Vikings quarterback. While Darnold is the heavy favorite to start in Week 1 based on the wagering world, McCarthy has a nearly 50-spot edge based on ADP data. This suggests that those in the high-stakes world think McCarthy will end up starting more games, even if the veteran opens atop the depth chart. Regardless, neither can be considered more than a QB3 in most drafts. I actually wouldn’t be surprised if Darnold holds the job longer than expected.
Patriots: Jacoby Brissett (-900) vs. Drake Maye (+550)
Brissett is a heavy favorite to be New England’s Week 1 starter, so much so that Maye is worth a wagering roll of the dice at +550. The fantasy world is at odds with Vegas here as well, with Maye coming off draft boards more than 80 spots ahead of the veteran. In fact, Brissett isn’t even picked in most drafts. Brissett has never been an exceptional starter in the fantasy football realm, so look for Maye to take over the job sooner than later.
Broncos: Bo Nix (-400) vs. Zach Wilson (+450) vs. Jarrett Stidham (+650)
This is quite an ugly quarterback situation, but it’s still worth monitoring. Nix, who was the Broncos’ top pick in the NFL draft, is considered the favorite at -400. He also has a big lead based on ADP data, too. I’m not sure I buy into Nix making much of an impact in fantasy in Year 1, but at this point it would be a surprise if he didn’t open as the starter.
Raiders: Aidan O’Connell (-120) vs. Gardner Minshew (+100)
The odds on this quarterback battle have flipped in the last week, as O’Connell is now the favorite ahead of Minshew. I’d prefer the latter from a fantasy perspective, but neither will be worth more than a late flier in drafts. The most important aspect of this battle is actually less about the quarterbacks, and more about how they’ll affect the production and fantasy value of guys like Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Fantasy Football Training Camp Battles: Quarterbacks.
