There's nothing more frustrating for fantasy football owners than entering your draft and not knowing who's going to win a certain NFL position battle. The competition between players can primarily break down to two guys, like in the Broncos backfield. It can also stretch to six names, like the current Eagles' RB room. Each position battle brings with it the potential for busts, but at the same time, the possibility of snagging a sleeper who emerges as the top option. The uncertain outcomes leave your rankings in a messy state and can cause frequent updates to your draft cheat sheet.
There are also different types of position battles. Some are the kind that make the difference between a player being drafted or left on the waiver wire. Others could vault players into early-round consideration if they emerge victorious. Still others might have a larger impact on the players around them.
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For example, there are a couple of bad teams that currently have quarterback competitions ongoing. No matter who wins the Washington or Miami QB jobs, you're probably not going to roster them in fantasy, at least not at the start of the season. The skill-position players around them are a different story. That's what makes their battles so important to fantasy owners.
2019 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | D/ST | Kicker | Top 200
2019 NFL Position Battles
This list includes the major competitions that could have an impact on this fantasy football season. Battles for the final receiver spot on a roster aren't included because for the vast majority of fantasy owners, that outcome doesn't matter. We'll also be keeping this list updated throughout the preseason as new competitions arise or others are completed, so check back for updates.
2019 PPR RANKINGS:
Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | Top 200
Who will be the Redskins starting QB in Week 1?
Dwayne Haskins
Case Keenum
Colt McCoy
There’s no question that Haskins is the quarterback of the future in Washington. What’s less certain is who the QB of the present is. If somehow McCoy were to win the job, basically all fantasy relevance in D.C. would go out the window. He’s not close to a good enough passer at this point to make anyone better. Keenum is a different story and probably the most neutral choice for fantasy value. You wouldn’t necessarily roster Keenum, but you would feel better about drafting Jordan Reed or even Josh Doctson.
Haskins is the option that brings the most intrigue. He might have been the most polished passer in college football in 2018 at Ohio State. If nothing else, Haskins would probably put up some garbage-time production on a weak Redskins team. Haskins is also the guy with the arm talent required to potentially help someone like Doctson take a leap to the next level.
Will Josh Rosen or Ryan Fitzpatrick start for the Dolphins?
Josh Rosen
Ryan Fitzpatrick
It’d be easy to look at Fitzpatrick’s four 400-yard games last year in Tampa and assume he’s the quarterback you want to win this position battle. Those were a product of the offense he was running, though. There’s very little likelihood he’d accomplish anything of that sort in Miami. The one pro with Fizpatrick from a fantasy-owner standpoint is that you know he’ll be sling it. Fitzpatrick has proven that he can move offenses, to an extent, in his NFL career. He shouldn’t stunt the scoring of Kenyan Drake or the few fringe fantasy talents in Miami’s receiving corps.
Rosen is far from a sure thing. He crashed and burned as a rookie in Arizona. He was also the No. 10 pick in the 2018 draft. Pedigree would suggest he has upside. Outside of Drake, no one in Miami is really worth drafting regardless in standard leagues, but it’s worth noting that Rosen gives the Dolphins’ offense its highest upside (while also giving it its highest downside).
QBs: Rankings | Draft Strategy | Sleepers | Dollar Values
Who will be the Broncos starting RB?
Phillip Lindsay
Royce Freeman
Lindsay dominated the touches in the Denver backfield last season as an undrafted player. Freeman, a third-round pick out of Oregon, was the clear No. 2. But ever since Broncos training camp opened, the talk has been of a 50-50 split this season. It will be something to watch in preseason games: Who starts? How many carries does each player get with the first-team offense? With the success Lindsay had last year, he's going no later than the third round in fantasy drafts. If this truly is a backfield-by-committee, he's being overdrafted and Freeman is being underdrafted.
The Broncos added a third cog to start off August, signing Theo Riddick after the Lions let him go. He'll compete with Devontae Booker for receiving back duties, further limiting the upside of either Lindsay or Freeman in PPR leagues.
Who's the best 49ers RB?
Jerick McKinnon
Tevin Coleman
Matt Breida
A year ago, this job was supposed to be Jerick McKinnon’s. Then he tore his ACL and Matt Breida ended up dominating backfield touches. The 49ers complicated matters further by bringing in Tevin Coleman from Atlanta this offseason, and now Coleman looks to be the favorite. Both Coleman and McKinnon are effective pass catchers, so it could be that truly all the RB roles in San Francisco are up for grabs. Breida might be the odd-man out, but he showed how much he could matter in fantasy when he played, so he’d just be an injury or two away from being in your lineups.
Which Eagles' RB has the most fantasy value?
Jordan Howard, Wendell Smallwood
Corey Clement, Miles Sanders
Darren Sproles, Josh Adams
Holy yuck. The Eagles’ backfield was already crowded last year, and sure, Jay Ajayi is gone, but Howard and Sanders have arrived to make that meeting room extra cozy. At least one guy, if not two, will be cut, but it's tough to figure out who it will be. Sproles, Sanders and Smallwood all are candidates for passing-down work while Howard, Clement, Adams, and Sanders all could carry the ball on early downs. Good luck wading through that.
We can’t ignore this battle, though, because the Eagles should have a very good offense. Howard seems like a safe bet for carries because Philly probably wouldn’t have brought him in if they weren’t going to use him, and Sanders was a highly regarded draft pick. If you’re drafting soon, those are the two most likely to produce in this crowded backfield.
FANTASY SLEEPERS:
8 QBs | 14 RBs | 11 WRs | 11 TEs | 6 D/STs | One from each team
Bears RBs: David Montgomery season outlook
Mike Davis
David Montgomery
There’s no question as to which Chicago running back will be on the field for all passing downs, and that’s Tarik Cohen. The Bears brought in two outsiders to compete as Jordan Howard’s replacement: Former Seahawk Davis and the rookie from Iowa State, Montgomery. Howard wasn’t effective on a per-carry basis last year, but that didn’t stop the Bears from giving him 250 chances to run the ball. If this situation were to avoid a committee, the winner of the battle would have RB2 potential in Matt Nagy’s offense.
Who will be the Patriots starting running back?
Sony Michel
James White
Rex Burkhead
Damien Harris
Michel was the only New England running back to top 100 carries in 2018, so it doesn't seem as if there shouldn't be any real competition for his starting role. However, the Patriots' selection of Harris in the third round is curious. We all know how quickly Bill Belichek will move on from one player to another, so maybe he has a significant role for Harris in mind. If nothing else, Harris brings a big frame that could take goal-line carries away from Michel. James White will still be the third-down back, and Rex Burkhead could be the odd-man out after being a popular sleeper pick a few years ago.
RBs: Rankings | Draft Strategy | Sleepers | Dollar Values
Fantasy Sleepers: Who's the Packers' No. 2 WR?
Geronimo Allison
Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Equanimeous St. Brown
Allison is the favorite here. He hauled in at least 64 yards in each of 2018’s first four games before getting hurt. In his absence, Marquez Valdes-Scantling developed into the second WR option in the Green Bay offense. Entering his second year, MVS has nearly as much claim to that job as Allison. Equanimeous St. Brown and Jake Kumerow have both generated buzz at various times in their young careers, but they probably won’t have value unless they were to jump past the names in front of them on the depth chart.
Getting 16 games as Aaron Rodgers’ No. 2 WR probably makes someone worthy of a starting fantasy spot. We’ll just have to see who wins the job.
Who's the Saints' No. 2 WR?
Tre'Quan Smith
Ted Ginn, Jr.
Keith Kirkwood
Austin Carr
The Saints throw enough passes that there willl be more room for production beyond Michael Thomas and running back Alvin Kamara. There are plenty of options for where that will come from. Whoever can take control of the secondary receiver targets from Drew Brees should hold significant fantasy value.
Ginn is the veteran of the group, and he’ll probably be expected to hold down the deep-threat role that has become familiar to anyone who has owned Ginn in the past. Of the younger options, Smith was targeted the most, so maybe that shows he’s got a leg up. Both Smith and Kirkwood are similar to Ginn in that they’re big-play threats who averaged more than 15 yards per catch in 2018. Carr started two 2018 games but only totaled nine catches working out of the slot.
DRAFT STRATEGY AND RANKINGS TIERS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST
Who's the Seahawks No. 2 WR?
David Moore
D.K. Metcalf
Gary Jennings
The retirement of Doug Baldwin has the Seattle receiving corps in disarray. It was always Baldwin at the front of the line. The assumption is that Tyler Lockett takes on that job, now, although even that isn’t set in stone. In an offense that throws as much as the Seahawks, whoever starts with Lockett will have fantasy value, too.
All of Moore, Metcalf, and Jennings are athletic receivers who can get down the field. None of them quite fit the Baldwin mold, but assuming it’s one of that trio who wins the No. 2 WR job, there will be big-play potential there.
Do any Ravens WRs have fantasy value?
Marquise Brown
Willie Snead
Miles Boykin
Seth Roberts
We have Willie Snead ranked as the obvious top receiving option in Baltimore, but maybe it’s not that simple. After all, Baltimore brought in Seth Roberts from free agency and Marquise Brown and Miles Boykin in the draft. Even the worst No. 1 wideout in football should have a spot at least on your fantasy bench.
A Lamar Jackson-led offense probably won’t throw enough (or accurately enough) to give multiple players a lot of pass-catching value. Snead can become a PPR option if he wins the job, while Brown would provide a TD-dependent flex play if the top role was his.
MORE: Dollar values | IDP rankings | Best ball tips | Team names
Fantasy WR sleepers: James Washington and Donte Moncrief
James Washington
Donte Moncrief
Eli Rogers
Earlier in the offseason, this job seemed undoubtedly Washington’s to seize. Rogers doesn’t measure up as much more than a slot receiver, so the bulk of Antonio Brown’s lost targets seemed to be heading to the second-year wideout Washington. Moncrief has created buzz in recent weeks about his potential of getting this job, though. He’s gotten hyped up before only to disappoint, so the actual odds of him taking the job might be less than the chatter would indicate.
Brown’s 168 targets in 2018 ranked third in football. JuJu Smith-Schuster will inherit some, but whoever Ben Roethlisberger’s No. 2 wideout is should see at least 100 targets.
Who's the Bills No. 1 WR?
Zay Jones
Robert Foster
John Brown
Cole Beasley
Jones dominated Buffalo’s targets in 2018, and Robert Foster became Josh Allen’s go-to deep threat in the second half. Then the Bills’ front office went out and acquired John Brown and Cole Beasley in the offseason -- the former of which is more proven as a deep threat and the latter of which is proven as a slot receiver.
There will be plenty of passes thrown by Allen. The RB situation a mess, and he's coming into his own as a second-year player. Jones topped 100 targets a year ago, and at least one of these players should do that again. Whichever one it looks like that will be will be worthy of a fantasy draft pick.
Patriots Position Battle: Who's the No. 2 WR?
N'Keal Harry
Dontrelle Inman
Phillip Dorsett
Demaryius Thomas
With Benjamin Watson suspended for the first four weeks, whoever can seize the starting spot opposite Julian Edelman has a chance to build a strong rapport with Tom Brady. It seems like that Pats are more intent on running than in recent seasons, so there might not be tons of upside out of this job winner. Regardless, there should be a solid floor. Fantasy owners likely cheering for the rookie Harry, but chances are targets will fluctuate all year.
WRs: Rankings | Draft Strategy | Sleepers | Dollar Values
Lions TEs: T.J. Hockenson season outlook
T.J. Hockenson
Jesse James
Hockenson is the favorite to lead Detroit's tight ends in fantasy points after he was selected No. 8 in the NFL Draft. But rookie TEs are rarely consistently productive. With Darrell Bevell in town as the new Detroit offensive coordinator, there should be a number of two-TE sets that put both Hockenson and James on the field. Pay attention in the preseason to whether one is more often staying in to block than the other.
TEs: Rankings | Draft Strategy | Sleepers | Dollar Values
Panthers TEs: Greg Olsen a fantasy bust? Ian Thomas a sleeper?
Greg Olsen
Ian Thomas
The expectation here is that the veteran Olsen will be the No. 1 tight end in Carolina for at least one more season. When Olsen was out at the end of last season, Thomas became a borderline fantasy starter. There's always a possibility that the Panthers decide to shift Olsen into a mentor role and ride Thomas. This is another preseason watch-list item, to see how many first-team snaps go each player's way to give us a clue to whose job this is to lose.