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| Monday, August 17, 2020 |
| The pads are on and the training camp battles are officially underway, and already we're starting to get some interesting nuggets to digest. Now it's all about knowing what coming from camp actually matters. |
| For example, Cowboys rookie wide receiver CeeDee Lamb was the talk of camp over the weekend, drawing rave reviews in his first practice, showing off at each receiver spot and working in with the punt return team. What's important news item there? It's not that he looked good, though that's good to hear. No, the important news for Fantasy is that he's working with the first team and lining up all over the field. That means it looks now that he's not going to have to fight for playing time. |
| Separating the noise from what truly matters is the goal, and that's what we're here to help you with as you prepare for your drafts. Today, we'll catch you up on what you need to know from this weekend's news, but first, let's get ready for the biggest position battles and questions for each team in training camp: |
| Biggest training camp questions |
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| We usually tell you to wait as long as you can to schedule your Fantasy draft, but that's especially important advice these days. Given how much uncertainty is going to dominate this season, you want to have answers to as many questions as possible before you draft. We've put together the biggest questions for every team in the NFL, and while we'll start to get some answers this week, we won't know many of them until the season actually starts. It's best to be prepared, so here's what you need to watch for over the next few weeks: |
| Biggest AFC question |
| Raiders: Does Josh Jacobs get more passing work? Jacobs is surprisingly controversial for a second-year back coming off a pretty great rookie season, and I don't mind telling you I'm on the "not sold" side of the debate. Given that the Raiders' backups are almost exclusively pass catchers, it's fair to wonder if he's going to see more work there. If not, the ceiling is capped. |
| Broncos: How do the touches get distributed? With Melvin Gordon, Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler joining an offense chock full of young players, this could be one of the most volatile groups in the league. Is Courtland Sutton still the No. 1 WR? Does Gordon split carries with Phillip Lindsay? And then, of course, there's the biggest question of all: Is Drew Lock good enough to get the best out of everyone around him? |
| Colts: How quickly can Jonathan Taylor push the vets? Taylor has the skills to be a three-down back, so keep an eye out for reviews of his pass-blocking and catching prowess early on. If he proves a viable option there, the path to a significant workload becomes more clear — and Taylor has top five Fantasy RB potential if that happens. |
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| Biggest NFC questions |
| Packers: Who can step up in the passing game? The Packers failed to account for their biggest hole on offense: the non-Davante Adams pass catchers. Allen Lazard is my pick to step up, and I'll target him in the mid-to-late rounds of all drafts. |
| Falcons: What does the backfield look like? This is a two-parter. Part one: How does Todd Gurley look after struggling to make big plays coming off a knee injury? If he's still limited, the question becomes: Who is the backup? Whoever it is would be stepping into a substantial role in a high-volume offense with plenty of touches available. |
| Lions: Who is the starting running back? However, Kerryon Johnson's familiarity with the offense could give him an edge in an offseason without opportunities to work out with the team before training camp, along with no preseason. If Johnson thrives in camp — and stays healthy! — this could be more of a mess than we thought, which would be bad news for D'Andre Swift. |
| Five position battles to watch |
| Some position battles don't really matter, like who becomes the No. 3 wide receiver in New Orleans. We know where the Fantasy value is going to come from there, and it's unlikely anyone is going to step up beyond Emmanuel Sanders to be relevant. But there are plenty of spots around the league where a Fantasy difference maker could emerge this late in the game, and with how much is uncertain even now, the values could be bigger than ever this season. |
| Ben Gretch focuses on these five position battles that could prove especially valuable as you look for your late-round targets: |
| Mecole Hardman vs. Sammy Watkins Justin Jackson vs. Joshua Kelley Falcons No. 2 RB Patriots No. 2 WR Colts No. 2 WR |
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| This week on Fantasy Football Today |
| On Monday's episode of the podcast, the crew reviews our latest .5 PPR mock draft, starting with Jamey Eisenberg's bold move to take Clyde Edwards-Helaire over Michael Thomas and Derrick Henry's surprise slide down to the second round. Plus, we break down the teams of Jamey, Dave Richard and Adam Aizer, and some of the early training camp notes. |
| And we're continuing our tour around the league on Fantasy Football Today on CBS Sports HQ, starting Monday as Aaron Reiss from The Athletic joins us to give the inside scoop on the Texans' new-look offense without DeAndre Hopkins. Then, beginning Tuesday, the show switches to a full hour, as we preview the NFC North and break down how your strategy should go from each draft slot this year. Tune in every day live at Noon on CBS Sports HQ. |
| Plus, you can still sign up for a chance to win a new 75-inch TV from CNET and Fantasy Football Today. Be sure to enter by Aug. 17 for your chance to win* (open to US only) and your Fantasy team won't be the only thing your league mates will be jealous of. |
| Training camp notes |
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| Could the Raiders start two rookie WRs? |
| There was some buzz around a report earlier this week that Hunter Renfrow may not have much of a role for the Raiders offense, but Ruggs has mostly been playing an outside role — with fellow rookie Bryan Edwards opposite him. That would leave Renfrow free to play the slot, though Tyrell Williams' injury could explain at least some of way they've been lining up. Still, both Ruggs and Edwards would be worth targeting even in re-draft leagues if they end up starting. |
| Though you may not want to target them too early. That same report also notes that, while the team has plenty of depth at wide receiver, they have "retained their old-school principles." |
| "There have been frequent multi-receiver sets and deep shots at practice, but Gruden hasn't strayed from his heavy sets. The Raiders are still using formations that include a fullback, two tight ends and three tight ends regularly." |
| There's some exciting talent on this offense, but they still figure to be pretty conservative, so if Ruggs and Edwards start to move up draft boards, don't make chasing them a priority. |
| Raheem Mostert led the 49ers RB group — It went Mostert, Tevin Coleman, Jerick McKinnon, Jeff Wilson, Jamycal Hasty. That's not necessarily surprising, but it is what we wanted to see. 49ers are "not counting on" Deebo Samuel (foot) playing in Week 1 — Kyle Shanahan didn't rule it out, of course, but Samuel is coming back from a Jones fracture, the kind of injury you don't want to rush. At this point, it seems unlikely Samuel will be ready for Week 1, and Shanahan did note that Brandon Aiyuk is "further ahead than a lot of rookies would be at this time." The 49ers traded up to draft Aiyuk, and if he's the top receiver come Week 1, he'll make a fine bench target on Draft Day. Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler aren't working with the first-team offense — Yet. Right now, it's DaeSean Hamilton and Tim Patrick working with Courtland Sutton in three-wide sets, though given how underwhelming those two have been so far in their NFL careers, you have to think we'll see Jeudy and Hamler move up the depth chart soon enough. Still, it's just a bit of cold water on both right now, though as The Athletic's Nick Kosmider noted : "While the rookie (Jeudy) may have spent a little more time running with the second unit Friday than the first, there's little doubt his role is among the starting group." Darrynton Evans fumbled twice in team drills Sunday — Evans has shown flashes in camp according to reporters, but fumbling twice in one day is the kind of thing that tends to overshadow everything. We're hoping he can step into the No. 2 role in Tennessee, but he'll have to earn the coaching staff's trust, and this isn't a great start. That'll be something to watch. |
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| Camp quotes |
| "Clyde has been doing a lot of work with the first group. That's valuable work for him. Is everything perfect? No, not right now. But he's working like crazy to get it there, and he's got a good attitude." —Andy Reid, on Clyde Edwards-Helaire's first few days of camp |
| Edwards-Helaire mostly worked with the first team, and it was Darrel Williams splitting reps with him when he needed a breather, which is worth noting in its own right, if he's the backup. Edwards-Helaire didn't spend much time blocking in his first full session with the team, instead going out on routes on passing plays. Fantasy players will be just fine with Edward-Helaire doing more route running than blocking. |
| "The Sam Darnold-Chris Hendon connection is going to be a thing if both parties stay healthy." —Connor Hughes, The Athletic's Jets beat writer |
| Adam Gase raved about Herndon too, confirming he is the starter at tight end and noting his versatility. That "stays healthy" caveat matters, of course, but Herndon showed plenty of upside as a rookie, picking up 502 yards and four touchdowns on just 56 targets. Jamison Crowder should be the top target in this offense, but it wouldn't be a surprise if Herndon was the No. 2 option. |
| The Fantasy Football Today Draft Guide is here, and I promise, you'll want to have it by your side on Draft Day. We've boiled down everything you need to draft in one place, with consensus expert rankings and auction values, tiers, a round-by-round walkthrough, and Draft Day strategies and rules from Jamey, Dave, Heath and Ben. It's the next best thing to having them next to you while you draft. Head here to sign up for it, because it's absolutely free — which seems like a good value to me. |
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