The summer months are upon us, which means NFL training camps are getting into full swing. That also means important depth chart battles are starting in earnest. With the fantasy football draft season almost here, managers need the 411, now more than ever, on which battles are the most important to monitor in the coming weeks. As you’ll see when you dive into this article, those battles aren’t always necessarily player vs. player.
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Quarterbacks
Deshaun Watson vs. NFL
This is one of the biggest storylines of NFL training camp, because it will have such a significant impact on so many players. I realize this is a sensitive subject, but it must be addressed from a fantasy perspective. Everything about the Browns offense, including run-pass percentage and tendencies, hinges on the status of Watson. If he’s suspended, backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett will take over in a less-than-ideal scenario.
Trey Lance vs. Jimmy Garoppolo
If Garoppolo is 100% recovered from shoulder surgery and still on the Niners roster, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Niners make Lance compete with Garoppolo to earn the starting job. Heck, Jimmy G led the Niners to one Super Bowl and almost got them to another one last season! He's also a favorite in the locker room. So, while Lance is the clear favorite in real and fantasy terms, he’ll still have to perform well in camp.
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Baker Mayfield vs. Sam Darnold
Darnold didn’t get the job done in his first season in Carolina, so it was no surprise that the team traded for Mayfield. I think the latter is the favorite, but head coach Matt Rhule isn’t going to hand the starting job to either of them. Mayfield has had more success in the league, however, and the Panthers open the season against--you guessed it--the Browns. If I draft one of them, it’ll be Mayfield in the late rounds as a No. 3.
Mitchell Trubisky vs. Kenny Pickett
The Steelers drafted Pickett to be their field general of the future (and maybe the near present), but I’m fully expecting Trubisky to be under center when the season opens. That doesn’t mean he’ll keep the job all year, but he’s the Pittsburgh quarterback to select in redrafts unless he falters badly in camp. Remember, Trubisky did have one top-15 fantasy season in Chicago (2018) and he’s still young at 27 years old.
Drew Lock vs. Geno Smith
The winner of this battle won’t have much value in drafts unless it’s a multi-quarterback league, but it’s still worth monitoring. Lock is far younger, and the Seahawks would be wise to see if he actually can be a productive NFL starter, so I consider him the favorite ahead of Smith. The eventual starter will have a major impact on the value of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, who are already falling in drafts.
Running Backs
Alvin Kamara vs. NFL
Kamara has been a first-round lock for much of his career, but that hasn’t been the case this season. There had been reports earlier in the year that he could be suspended six games for an off-field incident in Las Vegas, but at this point we haven’t been made aware of a potential ban. If the league doesn’t suspend Kamara, he’ll bounce back into the top-20. For now, he’s fallen into the second and third rounds of drafts.
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Travis Etienne vs. James Robinson
We might as well also throw in Robinson vs. his rehab from an Achilles ailment into this competition. If he’s able to participate in camp and is ready for the start of the season, Robinson’s value will climb a bit in drafts. On the flip side, such a scenario would also cause Etienne’s skyrocketing ADP to level out. I still like the latter regardless, but Robinson’s health situation in camp is well worth monitoring.
Chase Edmonds vs. Raheem Mostert
The Dolphins have a crowded backfield that includes Edmonds, Mostert and Sony Michel. I think the big battle for the starting job is between Edmonds and Mostert, however. Will new coach Mike McDaniel lean on the latter, who is familiar with the offense, as his starter and utilize Edmonds as a pass catcher? And who will get the goal-line looks? We hope to get those answers in camp, but a committee seems imminent.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire vs. Ronald Jones
Edwards-Helaire has been prone to bumps and bruises in two NFL seasons, and I see Jones as a threat to his starting job. Not that the USC product is a world beater (he’s clearly not), but coach Andy Reid could decide to mix in Rojo on early downs and in goal-line situations ahead of CEH. Regardless, this is looking like an imminent backfield committee that fantasy managers will need to navigate this season.
Marlon Mack vs. Dameon Pierce
I would include Rex Burkhead in this competition, but I see him as the Texans’ third-down back regardless of the starter. Mack might be the early favorite to top the depth chart, but I’m looking for Pierce to usurp him sooner rather than later. The fantasy world thinks this will happen, as Pierce is coming off the board around 50 spots ahead of Mack in the National Fantasy Football Championships during the month of July.
Wide Receivers
Chris Godwin vs. knee rehab
Godwin suffered a torn ACL in Week 15 of last season, and reports seem to indicate he’ll open this year on the PUP list. That possible scenario is being mirrored in his ADP, as Godwin is coming off the board as the WR22 in NFFC. He might fall further in drafts if/when a PUP placement is confirmed. Regardless, his status could slightly affect the value of superstar quarterback Tom Brady and make Russell Gage a bigger sleeper.
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Michael Thomas vs. ankle rehab
Thomas has barely played football since 2020 due to an injured ankle, and his return is still in question. While reports express there’s “some optimism” he’ll be cleared during training camp, his actual return date is uncertain. At this point he’s being drafted as a No. 3 fantasy wideout, and any further delays in his return would push rookie Chris Olave and veteran slot man Jarvis Landy ahead in terms of their future ADP.
Michael Gallup vs. knee rehab
Gallup suffered a torn ACL in Week 17 of last season, and his status for the start of this year is in serious doubt. In fact, most reports suggest he could either start on the PUP list or miss the first few weeks. His questionable status has the value of rookie Jalen Tolbert on the rise, as he’s likely to start while Gallup is sidelined. James Washington is also in the mix, but Tolbert is the Cowboys wideout to target late in drafts.
Christian Watson vs. Sammy Watkins
Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb appear to be locked into starting roles, so the battle to monitor in Green Bay is between Watson and Watkins. The veteran might have the advantage heading into training camp, but Watson has more upside and is favored by a whopping 95 draft spots based on NFFC ADP data in the month of July. Still, any positive reports on Watkins could push his value upward in future fantasy drafts.
Jameson Williams vs. knee rehab
The Lions moved up in the 2022 NFL draft to land Williams, so they’re obviously going to get him into the starting lineup as soon as he’s able to return from a torn ACL. Head coach Dan Campbell believes Williams won’t be ready for camp, however, so a stint on the PUP list seems imminent. At this point, Williams looks like a late flier in redrafts unless we get some positive reports on his knee rehab in the weeks to come.
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Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Click here to read all his articles here on SI Fantasy. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram for your late-breaking fantasy news and the best analysis in the business!
