As we near the end of the preseason, some NFL position battles are starting to work themselves out. But there are others that are still way up in the air. In some cases, how these battles shake out could have a great impact on Fantasy Football.
We probably won’t know how everything will look until Week 1 in some of these situations. But if we can take educated guesses about these position battles, it could give us a leg up in determining how we should approach the involved players in our upcoming Fantasy Football drafts.
Buffalo Wide Receiver
The departure of both Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis has blown things wide open in the Bills wide receivers’ room. Considering that Josh Allen has averaged 4,386 yards and 34 touchdown passes over the past four seasons, some of the players trying to fill those spaces are bound to put up numbers this season. Identifying whom is the tricky part.
It’s my guess that Khalil Shakir will end up as the top-scoring receiver when all is said and done in 2024. He has the familiarity of two years in the system, and he’ll likely be in the spot to get the highest-percentage tosses from Allen. Rookie Keon Coleman seems entrenched as a starter, but he might be more of a volatile play, a la Davis in the past. Curtis Samuel was earning raves in preseason, but the injury woes that have bedeviled him in the past have popped up already and put him in jeopardy in Week 1. This is a messy position battle, and it’s hard to imagine any of this trio rising higher than WR3 level.
Houston Wide Receiver
Oddly enough, Stefon Diggs, who left behind a position battle in Buffalo, is causing one now with the Texans. Were it not for Diggs’ presence, things would look much more clear-cut for holdovers Nico Collins and Tank Dell. Now it’s a three-way quagmire that doesn’t appear to have any easy answers.
The good news is that C.J. Stroud should be throwing enough to satisfy all three to an extent. But what about for Fantasy purposes? I think Collins stays a high-level WR2, because he’ll be on the field the most and can do a little bit of everything (catch bombs or shorter, higher-percentage tosses). Diggs’ experience helps, and even though his targets will drop off dramatically, he also won’t have as much defensive attention on him as he had in Buffalo. I think his ceiling is low-end WR2. Dell could suffer the most, becoming a more volatile play, one who has splash weeks but also bottoms out occasionally.
Washington Running Back
The Commanders have an exciting rookie quarterback in Jayden Daniels. But it’s doubtful that new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury will want to expose him to a heavy pass rush, especially considering he doesn’t have a wide variety of targets at wideout outside Terry McLaurin. That means the running game will be crucial.
Brian Robinson Jr. has been a solid performer in his first two seasons, but he’s not so dynamic that he demands touches. Austin Ekeler was once that kind of player, but he looked like a shadow of himself a year ago. I like Robinson just a shade better in PPR leagues, if only because of his touchdown potential, but Ekeler’s receiving floor could make him the steadier weekly play.
Green Bay Wide Receiver
The Packers possess an embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position. That’s great for them, but it’s a headache for Fantasy drafters. This is one of the murkiest position battles of them all, and it’s one that could very much be in flux throughout the season.
I’m not one to ignore guys because of past injury worries, which is probably why I have Christian Watson ranked the highest of the quartet. He possesses the highest ceiling, and his knack for scoring touchdowns is Fantasy catnip. Jayden Reed starred as a rookie last season, while Romeo Doubs took center stage in the playoffs. Then there’s Dontayvion Wicks, an electrifying big-play type. I wouldn’t mind having any one of these four on my Fantasy rosters, but I wouldn’t want to have to count on them on a week-to-week basis.
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