X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Intriguing Training Camp Battles To Watch for 2016 Fantasy Football - Part 1

Every year, fantasy football players enter training camp with questions about depth charts that will be answered in August that will have an impact on a number of players and their respective fantasy values and ADP's.

In this two part article, I will discuss some of the most intriguing camp battles for fantasy football in 2016. You can read part two here.

Editor's Note: RotoBaller has the best Premium NFL Subscription, only $29.99 for the full season. We have all the preseason tools to help win your drafts, and in-season tools to win your seasonal and daily leagues: Draft Kit, Premium Rankings, ADP Sleepers Tool, Matchup Ratings for every player, Daily DFS Cheat Sheets, Lineup Picks, Expert Lineups, Stacks and Avoids.

 

Preseason Players To Keep An Eye On

Cleveland QB1: Robert Griffin III vs. Josh McCown

This might seem like a no-brainer, but RG3 will have to earn the starting job in his first season in Cleveland. Expectations might be raised now that Cleveland finally has an NBA championship under its belt. All eyes will be on the Browns to do their part and reach the promised land sooner rather than later. If Griffin doesn't prove that he can be a long-term solution, his time in a Browns uniform might not be long. Josh McCown finished with a 93.3 passer rating and 2,109 yards in eight starts in 2o15. The problem is that Cleveland finished 1-7 in those games. Griffin definitely can't be trusted by fantasy owners until he proves himself on the field, but his ceiling is much higher, due to his proficiency with the deep ball and his legs. McCown will never be more than a low-end QB2 or bye-week fill-in, but if he can keep the chains moving better than RG3, he may be the Browns' starting signal-caller by the end of the season.

Baltimore RB1: Justin Forsett vs. Javorius Allen vs. Kenneth Dixon vs. Terrance West

The Baltimore backfield is one of the messiest in the NFL this offseason. It's anyone's guess right now who will carry the load for Baltimore, although this could devolve into an ugly timeshare throughout the season that would be less than fruitful for fantasy. After serving as a backup for four different teams, Justin Forsett emerged out of nowhere to run for 1,266 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2014. Last year, Forsett had a dismal first three games before putting up consecutive 100 yard efforts. Then, he averaged under four yards per carry over the next five games before missing the rest of the season with a broken elbow. Which Forsett will we see this year? We may not see him much at all if one of the younger backs establish themselves. Second-year back Javorius "Buck" Allen showed some promise in limited time last season, but only finished with a 3.8 yards per carry, with most of his points coming from the passing game, so a third-down role is possible in 2016. Kenneth Dixon presents the most upside, but is also the biggest unknown as a rookie. He is a bit undersized at 5'10" and coming out of Louisiana Tech, he isn't proven against top-notch competition. Terrance West couldn't hold onto the starting job in Cleveland despite little opposition, but he will compete as well and is running ahead of incumbent Lorenzo Taliaferro who may not make the roster. Oh, and please don't mention Trent Richardson's presence in training camp.

Tennessee RB1: DeMarco Murray vs. Derrick Henry

Leaving Philly and Chip Kelly's suffocating control for the greener pastures of running back-starved Tennessee did wonders for Murray's fantasy value. Then they drafted Heisman winner Derrick Henry in the 2nd round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Murray obviously has the experience and should have the first shot at the starting job. However, with 1,127 carries on his odometer, including a whopping 392 in 2014, Murray will wisely not be asked to carry the load alone. Despite a dominant college career, Henry has drawn mixed opinions regarding his NFL future, which explains his fall to the middle of the 2nd round. Henry is a tough, bruising back who seems to be a great short-yardage option, but comparisons to other big backs like Ron Dayne can be less than inspiring. Henry has a better burst than most big backs and ran a solid 4.54 40-yard dash. At 250 lb, he's the type of back that could make an immediate impact. A more favorable comparison that Henry is drawing is former Titans great Eddie George, but of course he hasn't even taken a snap in an NFL pre-season game yet. Murray is only 28 and should still have plenty to offer, but Henry's presence will make things interesting.

Denver TE1: Virgil Green vs. Jeff Heuerman

The wideouts have done most of the damage in Denver's offense in the past few seasons, but with either Mark Sanchez or rookie Paxton Lynch handling the offense this season, the tight end may be utilized more as a safety net. With the departure of Owen Daniels, Virgil Green makes for an interesting sleeper candidate at the tight end position. He hasn't proven much over his five year career, amassing only 35 receptions, 379 yards and two touchdowns. He is also nursing a finger injury which has kept him out of OTAs. Heuerman was a third-round pick last season, but is recovering from ACL surgery and is yet to register an NFL catch. Demaryius Thomas will be double-teamed in the end zone on a regular basis and Emmanuel Sanders is undersized, so one of the big men will have the chance to be a secondary target in the red zone. Both are big question marks, but the training camp may give us a glimpse as to who has the edge to be an in-season streamer candidate. .

Los Angeles TE1: Tyler Higbee vs. Lance Kendricks

As a 2nd round pick out of Wisconsin, Kendricks was supposed to be an immediate pass-catching threat. However, his lackluster output led the Rams to bring in locker-room headache Jared Cook, who performed fairly well, but he is now in Green Bay after being released. Kendricks logged 519 yards in 2012, but hasn't surpassed 260 yards since then and has a 21.2 receiving yards per game career average. The Rams failed to sign a free agent to compete and instead opted to make Tyler Higbee a 4th round selection. Higbee gained some pre-draft buzz for his athleticism, but as a D-II player in college he may require an adjustment period. Jared Goff will surely rely on his tight end a lot in his rookie season, so the chemistry he develops with each receiver will be telling.

 

NFL & Fantasy Football Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-0" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]


Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Khris Middleton2 hours ago

Available For Wednesday's Game
Giannis Antetokounmpo2 hours ago

Cleared For Wednesday
Damian Lillard2 hours ago

Upgraded To Available On Wednesday
Nikola Jokic4 hours ago

Unavailable On Wednesday
Miles McBride4 hours ago

Ruled Out For Wednesday
Karl-Anthony Towns4 hours ago

To Play On Wednesday
Andre Drummond4 hours ago

Sidelined On Wednesday
Alexandre Sarr4 hours ago

Ruled Out On Wednesday
Bub Carrington4 hours ago

Available On Wednesday
Kyle Kuzma4 hours ago

Will Play On Wednesday
Jalen Suggs5 hours ago

Out For Thursday Versus Minnesota
Zion Williamson5 hours ago

Sitting Out Versus Portland
Trent Miner5 hours ago

Set For First Career Start On Wednesday
Aaron Gordon5 hours ago

Ruled Out Wednesday
Beck Malenstyn5 hours ago

To Remain Out On Thursday
Jiri Kulich6 hours ago

Out Week-To-Week
Thatcher Demko6 hours ago

Unavailable Wednesday
Nikola Jokic6 hours ago

Questionable For Wednesday Versus Clippers
Elias Pettersson6 hours ago

A Game-Time Call Against Capitals
Jonathan Drouin6 hours ago

Out Wednesday
Paolo Banchero6 hours ago

Expected To Return On Friday Versus Bucks
Aaron Ekblad6 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision Wednesday
Kawhi Leonard6 hours ago

Out Versus Denver
Davis Thompson7 hours ago

Starts 2025 Season Well
PGA7 hours ago

J.T. Poston Disappoints At The Sentry
Chris Kirk7 hours ago

Sputters At The Sentry
Billy Horschel7 hours ago

Looks Forward To Sony Open
Brian Harman7 hours ago

Gets 2025 Started With A Rough Start
PGA7 hours ago

Cameron Davis Finishes Strong At The Sentry
Keegan Bradley7 hours ago

Starts 2025 Season Well
NFL7 hours ago

Bill Belichick Has No Plans To Return To The NFL
Deebo Samuel Sr.8 hours ago

49ers Plan To Bring Deebo Samuel Sr. Back Next Year
Zay Flowers9 hours ago

Absent From Wednesday's Practice
Braxton Garrett9 hours ago

To Miss 2025 Season Following Elbow Surgery
Taylor Pendrith11 hours ago

Is A Dark-Horse Pick For Sony Open
Jalen Hurts11 hours ago

Expected To Practice On Wednesday
Eric Cole11 hours ago

Looking For Bounce-Back Performance At Sony Open
Zay Flowers11 hours ago

A Long Shot To Play On Wild-Card Weekend
Sahith Theegala12 hours ago

A Big Name To Stay Away From At Sony Open
Nick Dunlap12 hours ago

Looks To Bounce Back At Sony Open
Tom Kim13 hours ago

Making Season Debut At Sony Open
Deni Avdija14 hours ago

In Danger Of Missing Wednesday's Contest
Jerami Grant14 hours ago

Remains Unavailable Wednesday
Ben Simmons14 hours ago

Iffy For Wednesday
D'Angelo Russell14 hours ago

To Miss Second Straight Game
Karl-Anthony Towns14 hours ago

Questionable To Face Raptors
Hideki Matsuyama14 hours ago

Looks To Make History At Waialae
Sean Monahan15 hours ago

Exits Tuesday's Game Early
Filip Chytil16 hours ago

Exits On Tuesday With Upper-Body Injury
Brock Faber16 hours ago

Sustains Injury On Tuesday
Steven Stamkos16 hours ago

Exits Early On Tuesday
Evgeni Malkin16 hours ago

Sidelined With Upper-Body Injury
Josh Morrissey16 hours ago

Day-To-Day With Lower Body Injury
Tanner Scott1 day ago

Mets Meet With Tanner Scott
Justin Verlander1 day ago

Signs One-Year Contract With San Francisco
NFL1 day ago

Ashton Jeanty Declares For 2025 NFL Draft
Joey Daccord1 day ago

Activated From Injured Reserve
Colin Miller1 day ago

To Miss At Least Two Weeks
Justin Faulk1 day ago

Rejoins Blues Lineup Against Wild
Igor Shesterkin1 day ago

Remains Out On Tuesday
Chris Kreider1 day ago

Placed On Injured Reserve
Jacob Middleton1 day ago

Available Tuesday
Troy Terry1 day ago

Uncertain For Tuesday's Action
Tua Tagovailoa1 day ago

Dolphins Have "No Concern At All" About Tua Tagovailoa's Long-Term Health
Las Vegas Raiders1 day ago

Raiders Fire Head Coach Antonio Pierce
David Montgomery1 day ago

Expected To Return For Divisional Round
Tyreek Hill1 day ago

Dolphins Say Tyreek Hill Did Not Request A Trade
Brandon Woodruff1 day ago

Hopes To Be Ready By Opening Day
Zay Flowers1 day ago

Not At Tuesday's Practice
Luke Clanton1 day ago

A Player To Watch At Sony Open
Thomas Detry1 day ago

In Solid Form Ahead Of Sony Open
Russell Henley1 day ago

A Course Horse At Sony Open
Stephan Jaeger1 day ago

A Risky Option At Sony Open
Kurt Kitayama1 day ago

Makes 2025 Debut At Sony Open
Maverick McNealy1 day ago

Looks To Stay Hot In Hawaii
Sepp Straka1 day ago

A Safe Option At Sony Open
Michael Thorbjornsen1 day ago

A Dark Horse At Sony Open
Tennessee Titans1 day ago

Titans Retaining Brian Callahan As Head Coach
Tennessee Titans1 day ago

Titans Fire GM Ran Carthon
Brent Rooker2 days ago

Signs Five-Year Extension
Jacob Markstrom2 days ago

Snaps Losing Skid On Monday
Nolan Arenado2 days ago

Red Sox Emerge As Strong Candidate To Land Nolan Arenado
Christian Watson2 days ago

Packers Confirm Torn ACL For Christian Watson
Ezekiel Elliott2 days ago

Signing With Chargers
Michael Lorenzen2 days ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Kansas City
Gavin Lux2 days ago

Traded To Cincinnati
Kyler Murray2 days ago

"100 Percent" Chance That Kyler Murray Will Start For Cardinals In 2025
Brock Purdy2 days ago

Wants Contract Done Sooner Than Later
Christian McCaffrey2 days ago

"Definitely Close" To Being Fully Recovered
Jayden Daniels2 days ago

Commanders "Not Concerned" With Jayden Daniels' Leg Soreness
Amari Cooper2 days ago

Bills Hopeful Amari Cooper Will Be Available In Wild-Card Round
Chicago Bears2 days ago

Bears Seek Permission To Interview Mike McCarthy For Head-Coaching Job
Luis Arraez2 days ago

Yankees Talking With Padres About Luis Arraez
Clayton Kershaw4 days ago

Intends To Pitch In 2025, Expected To Return To Los Angeles
Charlie Morton5 days ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Baltimore

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Zay Flowers - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football WR Injury Reports: Wild Card Weekend Updates For Zay Flowers, Christian Watson, John Metchie III, Joshua Palmer

The (regular) fantasy football season is over but the DFS season rolls along. A few high-profile receivers may not make your lineups due to injury. To keep close tabs on all of the news across the NFL, make sure to favorite or bookmark the fantasy football player news page. Also, download the free RotoBaller fantasy […]


Lamar Jackson - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL Playoffs Rankings: Fantasy Football Draft Rankings and FFPC Playoff Challenge (2025)

Welcome, RotoBallers, to the 2025 NFL Playoffs and our continuing coverage of fantasy football playoff leagues. Fantasy football is still going strong during the NFL playoffs – including new drafts and contests forming before the Wild Card Weekend games. The NFL postseason starts with one of the most challenging and unique fantasy football playoff leagues […]


David Montgomery - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Will David Montgomery Play In The Postseason? Injury Update For Lions RB

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (knee) suffered an MCL injury in Week 15 against the Buffalo Bills. While it was initially reported that he would be placed on injured reserve and his season would be over, we haven't seen that yet. "Monty" has now played in 14 games this season, rushing 185 times for […]


Travis Kelce - Fantasy Football Tight Ends You Must Have in 2024

12 Biggest Fantasy Football Busts Of 2024

Unfortunately, the 2024 fantasy football season is over. Hopefully, fantasy players came away with the championship trophy. While the fantasy season just wrapped up, it’s never too early to prepare for next year. The first thing fantasy players should do is look back at the 2024 season and see where they went wrong. Therefore, let’s […]


Mike Evans - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

NFL Playoff League Rankings for Fantasy Football: Saquon Barkley, Jahmyr Gibbs, Mike Evans, Kyren Williams, Joe Mixon, Puka Nacua, Terry McLaurin

While the traditional fantasy football season is over, the start of the NFL playoffs brings various types of fantasy football contests geared toward the playoffs. Fantasy football is not over yet, so let's get to the action! Below are our 2025 fantasy football playoff league rankings to help you make the best decisions for your playoff […]


Nico Collins - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Wild Card Weekend Matchups Analysis

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another start'em and sit'em piece as we look ahead to Wild Card Weekend! If you are new here, this matchups analysis and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em article will look at the best and worst matchups of the week.  Whether you are looking for some DFS plays this weekend or are playing in a fantasy […]


Bucky Irving - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

All-Waiver Wire Fantasy Football Team - 2024 Undrafted Players Who Exceeded Expectations

The casual fantasy football managers draft a team and ride it out, hoping their selections push them into the playoffs. The savvy fantasy managers utilized the waiver wire to make a good team great. Every year, undrafted players go on to be fantasy football darlings. This season was no exception. Below is the All-Waiver Wire […]


Jayden Daniels - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

2024 Fantasy Football Awards - RotoBaller Writers Picks

Greetings and welcome to the official 2024 Fantasy Football Awards Show, presented by RotoBaller. These awards are voted on by RotoBaller's NFL writers, with some goofy ones thrown in alongside the expected. We are here to celebrate the good, the bad, and the downright frustrating. Once again, I'm your host, Nick Mariano. We won't have […]


J.K. Dobbins - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Injury Reports For NFL RBs: Wild Card Weekend Updates for J.K. Dobbins, Justice Hill, Gus Edwards, Blake Corum

Below is our fantasy football injuries report for running backs on Wild Card Weekend, as of January 8. The injury statuses for various NFL running backs are up in the air for Wild Card Weekend, including J.K. Dobbins, Justice Hill, Gus Edwards, and Blake Corum. As the NFL playoffs get underway and fantasy football continues, […]


Puka Nacua - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Wide Receiver (WR) Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks for Wild Card Weekend (2024)

The second season starts today. Whether you're into DFS or postseason tournaments, we have you covered. The NFL playoffs can be tricky to predict, as defenses tend to tighten up, leaving fantasy production few and far between. Heading into Wild Card Weekend, fantasy managers have 12 teams' worth of players to choose from. Depending on […]


Bijan Robinson - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

Who Are the Top 5 Picks for 2025 Fantasy Football Drafts?

The 2024 NFL regular season is finally over, and it's now time to look back on what happened and try to ascertain how that will affect rankings next year. Of course, there's plenty of time until the 2025 regular season kicks off, as we haven't even made it through the playoffs yet. Still, it's extremely […]


Saquon Barkley - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Running Back (RB) Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Picks for Wild Card Weekend (2024)

If you thought your fantasy football season was over, think again. We are talking playoffs, which means fantasy managers looking for the edge in the playoff contests have come to the right place. The running back position is particularly challenging this week as the teams that punched their tickets to the dance have done a […]


Josh Allen - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Five Fantasy Football Strategies To Help You Win NFL Playoff Leagues

If you won a fantasy football title in the regular season and are looking for more hardware -- or if you want redemption after a bad year -- the fantasy football season isn't over just yet! You can add to the excitement of the NFL playoffs by assembling a brand new fantasy football team(s) of […]