Opportunity is extremely important in fantasy football. Often times there are talented players in situations that don't result in enough volume. Training camp battles are important to determine who gets more volume or targets and it will be challenging this year due to the coronavirus and the likelihood of no preseason games. It becomes more challenging for rookies to make an impression on the coaches. Here are some of the interesting position battles to monitor.
QUARTERBACKS
Bears
Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles
Trubisky was selected with the second overall pick in the 2017 draft and has been a disappointment. He was 28th in quarterback rating last season. The Bears declined to pick up his fifth-year option and traded for Foles, who is familiar with this system and many of the coaches, including Matt Nagy, who was with Foles with the Eagles and Chiefs. The Bears are paying Foles a good amount of money and he might have the edge to start if he plays well in training camp. If Trubisky wins the job, the leash will be short. Both are QB3 for superflex leagues.
Chargers
Tyrod Taylor and Justin Herbert
Coach Anthony Lynn has a history with Taylor and has spoken highly of him. Taylor is almost a lock to begin the season as the starting quarterback, especially since this is a tough off-season for a rookie, especially at quarterback. The Chargers spent a high pick on Herbert, so there's a chance he starts at some point. There are good weapons in this offense and the starter will have value in leagues that start multiple quarterbacks.
Dolphins
Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tua Tagovailoa
It makes sense to let Fitzpatrick start the season. He played well down the stretch in 2019 and Tagovailoa is coming off a serious hip injury. If Tua shows he's healthy, he could take over as the starter quickly. A lot will depend on how Tua looks in training camp.
RUNNING BACKS
Bills
Devin Singletary and Zack Moss
It looked good for Singletary when Frank Gore wasn't brought back. The Bills gave Gore 18 carries inside the 10-yard line last season and he gained four yards and scored twice. The Bills drafted Moss in the third round and Buffalo's General Manager Brandon Beane said he sees Moss doing more of the goal line work like they did with Gore last season. Singletary had two rushing touchdowns in 12 games and the running prowess of Josh Allen doesn't help either. Allen has 17 rushing touchdowns over the last two seasons. Moss is also a good receiver and if gets the goal line work, it really makes Singletary overvalued and makes the Moss the back to target several rounds later.
Buccaneers
Ronald Jones and Ke'Shawn Vaughn
Vaughn was going before Jones in many drafts until recently with Jones moving up the board. Jones has bulked up to 225 pounds and said he has been catching 300 passes a day on the jugs machine. Jones flashed at times last season, but has been inconsistent in his first two seasons. Vaughn, drafted in the third round, will have to show he can catch the football and pass protect. The Buccaneers have expressed confidence in Jones, but drafting Vaughn in the third round means this is a competition. The Buccaneers have expressed concern with Jones in pass protection and Vaughn is capable of playing all three downs. The back that gets most of the passing down work will be more valuable. If Vaughn continues to fall, he will be the preferred target in this backfield. The Buccaneers also added LeSean McCoy.
Colts
Jonathan Taylor, Marlon Mack and Nyheim Hines .
Mack is coming off a good season in which he rushed for 1,091 yards on 247 carries with eight touchdowns in 14 games. He only caught 14 passes for 82 yards. The Colts made a trade to move up three spots and select Taylor with the 41st overall pick. Taylor gains a lot of yards after contact and the Colts have an excellent offensive line. This is a key battle to watch in training camp as the lead back in this offense will be valuable. Hines will mostly play in passing situations and he does hurt the other two in PPR formats.
49ers
Raheem Mostert , Tevin Coleman and Jerick McKinnon
While Mostert had a strong finish to the season, especially in the postseason, he was barely involved in the passing game and was behind Coleman in the first playoff game. McKinnon could be the pass-catching back if he's healthy. Coleman had 167 touches last season in 14 games, while Mostert had 151. This will be a committee and Coleman has been cheaper in early drafts. Mostert has fallen a bit since the trade request and could become a decent value.
Lions
Kerryon Johnson and D'Andre Swift
Johnson has been good when on the field the last two seasons, but that has been a problem. He has played in 18 of 32 games the last two years. The Lions drafted Swift with the third pick of the second round and the rookie will play a role. Since Johnson is familiar with the system and it could take Swift some time to adjust, it could be a committee early on. If Johnson stays healthy, it could remain a timeshare all season.
Rams
Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson, Malcolm Brown and John Kelly
Rams coach Sean McVay recently suggested the Rams could go with “that running back by committee approach.” He pointed out how it worked for the 49ers. Keep in mind that coaches say a lot of things that don't come to fruition. For the second straight season, the Rams drafted a running back on day two of the NFL draft. They took Henderson last year and selected Akers with the 52nd overall pick this year. If the Rams felt comfortable with Henderson and Brown, they likely wouldn't have taken Akers, who was very impressive despite running behind a bad offensive line at Florida State. The Rams had a bad offensive line last year, but Henderson didn't do much to impress, rushing for 147 yards on 39 carries (3.8 yards per carry) and caught four passes for 37 yards. Akers is a three-down back and it would be surprising if he didn't emerge as the main back.
Ravens
Ingram will be 30 in December, but he hasn't had many seasons with big workloads. Last season, he rushed for 1,018 yards on 202 carries with 10 touchdowns and caught 26 passes for 247 yards and five touchdowns. The scores were boosted by a prolific Ravens' offense, especially the running game. Ingram should still be the lead back, but Dobbins will get touches. Dobbins is the more explosive back and could gain a bigger role as the season goes on. Dobbins has been expensive in early drafts. Gus Edwards and Justice Hill are still around, too.
WIDE RECEIVERS
49ers WR2
Deebo Samuel suffered a Jones fracture in June and will miss time. He could start the season on the PUP list but there's some optimism he won't miss much time. This is an injury that could get worse if Samuel attempts to rush back. Aiyuk and Hurd are in line to lead the receivers in targets while Samuel is out. The 49ers are primarily a run-first offense and tight end George Kittle gets a lot of targets, but the 49ers defense won't be as good as last season and they might have to throw more. It could be difficult for a rookie receiver to make a big impact early with no off-season activities and no preseason, but Aiyuk could have touches manufactured in his direction. Both are good picks in the double-digit rounds.
Packers WR2
Allen Lazard , Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown
Davante Adams is the clear No. 1 and is going to be peppered with targets. The No. 2 receiver in this offense could emerge as a bargain. Lazard is being tabbed by drafters as the guy and going in the double-digit rounds. Aaron Rodgers has said good things about Lazard, who has size and speed. Valdes-Scantling couldn't take advantage of his chances last season and St. Brown missed the year with an injury. Lazard is the favorite.
Rams WR3
Van Jefferson and Josh Reynolds
One of these receivers will see the field when the Rams use three-wide receiver sets. The Rams selected Jefferson 57th overall in the 2020 draft. Jefferson has good hands and is a good route-runner. Reynolds enters his fourth year with the Rams and is familiar with the offense. Reynolds gets the edge going into the season as the veteran.