Key Fantasy Football Questions for All NFC Teams Ahead of NFL Training Camp 2025

We are in the thick of it now. In fact, NFL OTA training camps have already started. And, for me, best ball fantasy football drafts have started as well. How else are we going to take advantage of those early ADPs and overreact to every bit of news from practices in short?
In doing these early drafts, I’ve found myself asking questions that could determine our fantasy future. Questions that could create high leverage situations for fantasy that connect us with some sleepers, like Bucky Irving and Chuba Hubbard last year. Uncertainty lowers these guys in the rankings but that doesn’t mean the ceiling isn’t there if things break right.
We’ve already covered the Key Fantasy Football Questions for All AFC Teams Ahead of Training Camp for 2025. Now it’s time to dig into the NFC and see what kind of predictions can be made to generate value. Using our 2025 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet and hitting on a couple of these situations could be your ticket to millions of dollars in contests like Underdog’s Best Ball Mania VI! So let’s dive in!
NFC East Offseason Training Camp Questions
Dallas Cowboys - Who Will Start At Running Back?
The Dallas Cowboys' offensive line might not be what it once was. But Dak Prescott can run an offense, and they certainly have the weapons to move the football. And that makes the starting running back spot a potentially lucrative one for fantasy football. Incumbent veterans Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders will likely get first crack. But, despite being Day 3 picks, Jayden Blue and Phil Mafah could make some noise and carve out a role. We’ll be watching this battle unfold this summer, leading up to kickoff.
New York Giants - Will We See Jaxson Dart?
The discussion of Cam Skattebo vs. Tyrone Tracy is certainly interesting. But above all else, the starting quarterback spot is crucial. The Giants have some solid weapons - especially breakout star Malik Nabers. Right now, all three of Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, and Jaxson Dart are pretty much free in best ball drafts. Hitting on the right one, especially the one that starts during fantasy playoffs, could pay off in a big way.
Washington Commanders - Can Deebo Samuel Bounce Back?
We love Jayden Daniels. And Terry McLaurin. Those two are dialed in. The Commanders are then betting on Deebo Samuel to bounce back after a trade from the San Francisco 49ers. Maybe he can even sneak into RB coach Anthony Lynn’s running back room to get a few carries. Deebo Samuel has big upside if he hits, but if he doesn’t, there is room for someone else to get targets. Maybe Zach Ertz can repeat last year, where he actually finished as the TE7 in PPR.
Philadelphia Eagles - Who Is The Handcuff For Saquon Barkley?
The Eagles are the Super Bowl champions. And we know who the main characters are. Jalen Hurts, AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and, of course, Saquon Barkley. But the departure of Kenneth Gainwell to the Steelers creates some uncertainty as to who the guy would be if Barkley were to go down. Second-year man Will Shipley has a similar skillset to Gainwell. But they also brought in the big bruiser AJ Dillon from Green Bay. Maybe they would just split the work but given the powerful Eagles offense, we’d have to take a stab on the waiver wire at least.
NFC West Offseason Training Camp Questions
Los Angeles Rams - Can Puka Nacua And Davante Adams Both Thrive?
Last year, we thought there was enough to go around for both Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. And maybe there was, but Kupp reinjured the ankle he previously had surgery on and struggled, especially down the stretch. That being said, both Kupp and Nacua finished with 100 targets each despite only playing 11-12 games. We know Stafford loves Nacua, and Adams has made it clear
Seattle Seahawks - Will Noah Fant Hang On To His Job?
Klint Kubiak’s offense uses a fullback. That, along with the blocking tight end, takes the WR3 off the field for a lot of snaps. That can highly consolidate the targets among the top few pass-catchers, like we have seen with the 49ers, Dolphins, and with Kubiak’s Saints last year. Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp are locked in. Noah Fant is penciled in as the starting tight end as of now, and he does have the kind of athleticism that saw Jonnu Smith have a big year in a similar scheme. But Fant can be cut or traded with $9.5M in savings. If he were gone, rookie Elijah Arroyo could have a path to that work. Whoever gets that starting tight end gig for the Seahawks has a path to upside for fantasy football.
Arizona Cardinals - Can Kyler Murray Take A Step Forward?
This offseason, I sat down and watched every route Marvin Harrison Jr ran. I combed all the stats. I put that info together in this article for anyone interested. The short and sweet is that MHJ was getting open. Kyler Murray just wasn’t getting through his read progressions. There really is no unlocking Marvin Harrison Jr unless Kyler can work with Drew Petzing this offseason to trust the playcalling and read the defenses. If you believe that is possible, both Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr could have big upside.
San Francisco 49ers - Which Wide Receiver Will Be The Odd Man Out?
We know that this offense uses both a fullback and a blocking tight end. They brought Kyle Juzsczsyk back and signed Luke Farrell. George Kittle got an extension, so he’s locked in. That means they will likely only have two full-time wide receivers out there. To start the year, that should be Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall. But we’ll have a problem when Brandon Aiyuk gets back. Someone will have to come out for two WR sets. Maybe they will ease Aiyuk in, and he’ll play a part-time role. Otherwise, one of Jennings or Pearsall will see a decreased role down the stretch - which happens to be the most important time for fantasy football.
NFC North Offseason Training Camp Questions
Green Bay Packers - Who Will Be The Target Leader?
Christian Watson could miss the season, but that doesn’t make the room any less crowded. Incumbents Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, and Tucker Kraft will do battle with newcomers Matthew Golden and Savion Williams to lead this team in targets. Reed has been the top fantasy option, but he’s been deployed as a part-time player, primarily out of the slot. Golden is the first WR the Packers have picked in the first round in a long time, so he absolutely has a shot. And, if the targets are spread evenly, it’s worth considering that Tucker Kraft’s TE eligibility makes his targets more valuable. This offseason could see some heated competition.
Minnesota Vikings - How Many Options Can JJ McCarthy Support?
We are fairly confident that Justin Jefferson will get his targets one way or another. He’s simply too good and, when third and long rolls around, he can make the play even when you know it’s coming. After that, it gets murky. Kevin O’Connell has liked his high-volume attack, but even then, and even with gunslingers like Kirk Cousins, it’s not easy to support three fantasy-relevant pass-catchers all at the same time. Maybe McCarthy will continue those ways, but you
Chicago Bears - Will Ben Johnson Split The Backfield?
With new coach Ben Johnson, there are a LOT of questions to be answered. DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, Colston Loveland, and Cole Kmet will all be vying for snaps, let alone targets. But the biggest upside proposition comes from the running back room. Many expected them to draft a running back, but they didn’t add one until Kyle Monangai in the 7th round. Many folks (including me) want to see them sign Nick Chubb. But, as of now, it’s looking like D’Andre Swift vs. Roschon Johnson for touches. Johnson used a two-back system in Detroit, which could be good news for Roschon Johnson, but if Swift can corner the market on touches, he could crush at his ADP.
Detroit Lions - Sam LaPorta vs. Jameson Williams
The question for the Lions is fairly similar to the one we face with the Vikings. It’s fairly rare to have three guys on the same team all get 100+ targets. Amon-Ra St. Brown is going to get his. That pits Jameson Williams vs. Sam LaPorta. Last year, neither got 100+, but Jameson Williams came in with 91 and Sam LaPorta finished with 83. Can someone separate themselves to provide big upside? Or will they spread the ball around too thin amongst the pass-catchers and running backs to matter?
NFC South Offseason Training Camp Questions
Carolina Panthers - Who Will Lead This Team In Targets?
Naturally, there is a lot of excitement for Tetairoa McMillan. But rookies don’t always pop right away. And, even if he does, that could still leave room for a second option. Adam Thielen was quietly the WR13 in fantasy after returning from his hamstring injury. Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker could make the year two leap. And tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders is a dark horse with Tommy Tremble expected to start the year on the PUP list.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Does The Offense Change Without Liam Coen?
This team, when healthy, was fantasy football gold under Liam Coen. Bucky Irving, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Baker Mayfield. Cade Otton and Jalen McMillan even stepped up when guys got hurt. But there’s a lot of uncertainty with Coen now moving on to coach the Jaguars. Plus, first-round rookie Emeka Egbuka will enter the mix. Will we get the level of fantasy success we saw last year in Tampa?
New Orleans Saints - Can Tyler Shough Support These Assets?
Kellen Moore coming to town is a good thing. And we love guys like Chris Olave, Alvin Kamara, Rasheed Shaheed, and possibly even Juwan Johnson. But none of that matters if Tyler Shough isn’t ready to step up and deliver. Derek Carr has officially retired, and guys like Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler didn’t inspire much confidence. It’s all up to the rookie now.
Atlanta Falcons - Will Michael Penix Prefer Darnell Mooney or Kyle Pitts?
Bijan Robinson will do his thing. And we expect Drake London to lead this team in targets. After that, it gets a little murky. We have a fairly limited sample size from Michael Penix, and that was without him having a full offseason as the starter. Darnell Mooney looked pretty good last year running the deeper routes, but perhaps Pitts can get back to the form we saw in his rookie year when he had 1,000 yards. There’s really not room for both to have upside and if the ball is just spread around, maybe neither will.
Player News
Saints TE Foster Moreau said the QB1 role is “anyone’s job for the taking.”
It’s possible Moreau is just trying to speak positively of a quarterback room that could be in flux for much of the 2025 season, but the veteran tight end said neither Tyler Shough or Spencer Rattler did much to separate themselves from one another during offseason programs. Shough was selected at No. 40 overall by the Saints in this year’s draft, and will almost certainly get a chance to start at some point in the season, but Rattler could also get a look after throwing for 1,317-4-5 in seven games as a rookie. Rattler only completed 57 percent of his passes last season, and doesn’t have much promise as a fifth-round pick, but there may be room for him to see some action in what might be the worst QB room in the league this season. Regardless, this competition will one to watch throughout the offseason as first-year head coach Kellen Moore hopes to find a reliable option come Week 1.
Free agent RB Nyheim Hines said he is hoping to sign with a team before training camp.
Hines suffered a torn ACL during a jet-ski accident in 2023 and hasn’t played an NFL game since. The running back/return man said he believes his knee is now fully recovered and is hoping he can join a team before the start of training camp. Hines caught 30 passes for 241 yards and one touchdown in 2022 while splitting time with the Colts and Bills, and also returned 19 kicks for 554 yards and two scores. At 28 years old, there should be plenty of teams interested in giving him a look due to his special teams prowess and abilities in the passing game, but he’ll be far from a lock to make a roster wherever he lands.
Speaking on the Giants Huddle podcast, TE Theo Johnson said he is healthy after undergoing foot surgery last season.
Johnson caught 29 passes for 331 yards and one touchdown last season, but saw his rookie campaign come to an end due to a foot injury. Now healthy and ready to get back to work, the second-year tight end is hopeful he can continue where he left off before his injury, when he went for 26-293-1 over an eight-game stretch. It’s far from elite production, but Johnson posted an impressive 9.93 RAS during the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine and averaged a solid 12.2 YPR during his four years at Penn State. He won’t be on the fantasy radar to start the season, but Johnson could have some upside if he emerges as a primary receiving threat this season.
The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain says Ben Johnson “seemed confident” that Luther Burden (soft tissue) would be ready at the start of training camp.
Burden has been sidelined for most of the offseason while dealing with an undisclosed injury. The rookie second-rounder also remains unsigned. While it’s been a slow start to Burden’s pro career, a return by training camp should give him plenty of time to get up to speed before the start of the season. Even when Burden acclimates himself to the offense, he’ll likely slot in as the team’s No. 3 receiver with Rome Odunze and D.J. Moore expected to serve as the primary options in two receiver sets. Burden makes for an intriguing late-round pick in deeper leagues, but is unlikely to enter the season with much fantasy upside.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said Terry McLaurin is “not happy with where things are with an extension.”
Fowler adds that the Commanders have “a couple of weeks here to make progress” before training camp begins on July 22. McLaurin has skipped all offseason workouts thus far, so it stands to reason he could continue the absentee strategy later this month. Training camp is a critical time for NFL teams, allowing players to safely ramp up ahead of preseason play, not to mention the regular season. McLaurin profiles as a fantasy football WR2 this year.
The Athletic’s Mark Puleo reports, Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh “has been added as a defendant in a class-action lawsuit filed by 11 anonymous students against former University of Michigan offensive coordinator Matt Weiss.”
Weiss “has been accused of hacking the email, social media and cloud storage accounts of thousands of female athletes and downloading intimate photos and videos.” Per Puleo, “the amended complaint... alleges that Harbaugh” and “university officials knew that Weiss had been accessing the plaintiffs’ private information when they allowed him to coach in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31, 2022.” Harbaugh previously told reporters that “he didn’t learn of allegations involving Weiss until after the Fiesta Bowl,” saying he was “completely shocked” and “disturbed” upon hearing the allegations. Weiss has worked for both Jim and John Harbaugh, dating back to 2007; Stanford (2007-2008) and Michigan (2021-2022) with Jim, and the Ravens (2009-2020) with John. Jim coached at Michigan from 2015-2023. Per Puleo, “allegations of computer hacking against Weiss date to 2015, when he was with Baltimore.” Neither Michigan nor the Chargers responded to Puleo’s request for a comment.