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Previewing the NFL's 25 Biggest Training-Camp Battles
By Eric Mack, Fantasy Football Lead Writer
Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images
Training camp and the preseason might seem meaningless to you, but they can make or break seasons and careers every summer. We don't take them lightly here.
From the rookie quarterbacks challenging for starter's snaps right away (Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater, Derek Carr, et al) to the running backs fighting to be the bell cows (such as rookie Tre Mason pushing Zac Stacy for the St. Louis Rams), we break down the 25 most intriguing training-camp position battles coming out of offseason workouts.
You will notice much of the 25 focuses on the offensive skill positions. That is because backup defenders wind up getting a lot of action in rotations even if they don't start. We still have a handful of intriguing defensive battles, but we break down the more prominent battles for touches and snaps on the offensive side of the ball more in-depth here.
St. Louis Rams Defensive Tackle
Defensive tackle might not be the sexiest position to debate, but first-round pick Aaron Donald is a potential game-changer for the St. Louis Rams' stacked defensive line. You can make a case the Rams have the best front four in football, with or without Donald as a starter.
Michael Sam might get a lot of headlines in training camp, but Donald battling Kendall Langford and Michael Brockers for time in the tackle rotation will have a bigger effect on the success of an underrated Rams defense.
Prediction: Langford and Brockers start on the early downs, but the smaller, quicker and more talented Donald plays on the passing downs and gets all of the crucial snaps right away.
St. Louis Rams Wide Receiver
The St. Louis Rams have a franchise question mark looming over Sam Bradford, but the success of the quarterback is tied closely to improvement at wide receiver, which has been a mess. Kenny Britt,Tavon Austin, Chris Givens, Brian Quick and Stedman Bailey are interchangeable parts at this point.
Reports from minicamp have been favorable on Britt, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Britt was once one of the NFL's emerging young stars of the position, after all.
Prediction: Still just 25, Britt can rise up to help make Bradford the Rams' answer at quarterback, while answering the question of who will be the No. 1 receiver. Givens starts on the other side, while 2013 first-round pick Austin works out of the slot.
St. Louis Rams Running Back
Zac Stacy fans won't want to admit it, but third-round pick Tre Mason is a real threat to start at running back for the St. Louis Rams. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer told ESPN's Nick Wagoner last week:
Well right now, competition is for who's the starter. We're just going to let them all roll and see what happens. You saw some guys that worked with the young guys today. Zac's obviously a really, really good player, but we're going to create competition for all the guys.
That's a long way off, but we know we have a good stable group of backs, and they all have different skill sets, which we'll try to use throughout the course of the year.
This is a battle that will weigh the most on the minds of fantasy football fans, even if it isn't the biggest training-camp battle out there.
Prediction: Stacy starts, but Mason steals the job during the season.
*To read entire article click the link in the title.*
By Eric Mack, Fantasy Football Lead Writer
Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images
Training camp and the preseason might seem meaningless to you, but they can make or break seasons and careers every summer. We don't take them lightly here.
From the rookie quarterbacks challenging for starter's snaps right away (Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater, Derek Carr, et al) to the running backs fighting to be the bell cows (such as rookie Tre Mason pushing Zac Stacy for the St. Louis Rams), we break down the 25 most intriguing training-camp position battles coming out of offseason workouts.
You will notice much of the 25 focuses on the offensive skill positions. That is because backup defenders wind up getting a lot of action in rotations even if they don't start. We still have a handful of intriguing defensive battles, but we break down the more prominent battles for touches and snaps on the offensive side of the ball more in-depth here.
St. Louis Rams Defensive Tackle
Defensive tackle might not be the sexiest position to debate, but first-round pick Aaron Donald is a potential game-changer for the St. Louis Rams' stacked defensive line. You can make a case the Rams have the best front four in football, with or without Donald as a starter.
Michael Sam might get a lot of headlines in training camp, but Donald battling Kendall Langford and Michael Brockers for time in the tackle rotation will have a bigger effect on the success of an underrated Rams defense.
Prediction: Langford and Brockers start on the early downs, but the smaller, quicker and more talented Donald plays on the passing downs and gets all of the crucial snaps right away.
St. Louis Rams Wide Receiver
The St. Louis Rams have a franchise question mark looming over Sam Bradford, but the success of the quarterback is tied closely to improvement at wide receiver, which has been a mess. Kenny Britt,Tavon Austin, Chris Givens, Brian Quick and Stedman Bailey are interchangeable parts at this point.
Reports from minicamp have been favorable on Britt, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Britt was once one of the NFL's emerging young stars of the position, after all.
Prediction: Still just 25, Britt can rise up to help make Bradford the Rams' answer at quarterback, while answering the question of who will be the No. 1 receiver. Givens starts on the other side, while 2013 first-round pick Austin works out of the slot.
St. Louis Rams Running Back
Zac Stacy fans won't want to admit it, but third-round pick Tre Mason is a real threat to start at running back for the St. Louis Rams. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer told ESPN's Nick Wagoner last week:
Well right now, competition is for who's the starter. We're just going to let them all roll and see what happens. You saw some guys that worked with the young guys today. Zac's obviously a really, really good player, but we're going to create competition for all the guys.
That's a long way off, but we know we have a good stable group of backs, and they all have different skill sets, which we'll try to use throughout the course of the year.
This is a battle that will weigh the most on the minds of fantasy football fans, even if it isn't the biggest training-camp battle out there.
Prediction: Stacy starts, but Mason steals the job during the season.
*To read entire article click the link in the title.*
