Which training camp battle will have the biggest impact on fantasy drafts this season?
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- Michael Fabiano NFL Media Senior Fantasy Analyst
Cowboy up
If you can successfully predict the winner of the Joseph Randle vs. Darren McFadden battle in Dallas, you could be looking at fantasy gold. The Cowboys have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, which contributed to the success of DeMarco Murray a season ago. I like Randle, who averaged 6.7 yards per carry in 2014, to emerge atop the depth chart and start in Week 1. He's also one of my picks to break out. A committee situation is very possible here too, but an impressive camp from either Randle or McFadden will get the fantasy football hype train running hotter than a summer day in Dallas.
While the Dallas running back battle is loaded with fantasy intrigue, I think the competition that will have the biggest impact is the one going on under center in Philadelphia between Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez. As our colleagues from Around the NFL point out, this one could be billed as Bradford versus his health, but either way, whoever ends up winning this one will have a big impact on a plethora of fantasy names. Chip Kelly's offense has been good to fantasy owners in the past, and the fortunes of DeMarco Murray, Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor, Zach Ertz, Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles will all depend on who lines up at quarterback and how effective he is. This seems to be Bradford's job to lose, but fighting back from two reconstructive knee surgeries in back-to-back years is something we've really never seen in the NFL. That's why he (and the whole Eagles offense) will be one to watch in the preseason.
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- Marcas Grant NFL Media Fantasy Editor
King of the Lions den
No team ran a more true definiton of a running back committee last year than the Detroit Lions. That was the bad news. But few teams had their running backs as involved as the Lions did in 2014. Detroit rushers posted the third-most receptions last season (113) behind only the Saints and Bills. That makes the battle between Joique Bell and rookie Ameer Abdullah particularly intriguing. The prevailing wisdom is that Abdullah is going to be the lead Lion before too long. Yet it seems that Bell didn't get that memo. Two seasons ago, Bell and Reggie Bush both finished as top 20 fantasy backs -- something that could easily happen again this season if Detroit decided to again employ a true backfield split. But if Abdullah really does take over the gig and relegates Bell to a secondary role, then the latter will see his fantasy value take a severe nosedive.
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- Matt Franciscovich NFL Media Associate Fantasy Editor
Who'll wing it in Buffalo?
While no savvy fantasy owner is even close to considering the victor of Buffalo's quarterback camp clash to lead their squad this season, the Bills will unfortunately be forced to. We must come to terms with the fact that the outcome of this battle will affect the production of a handful of prominent names in fantasy football. Matt Cassel's notably poor showing in offseason workouts did nothing but damage his stock in this showdown between signal-callers. Tyrod Taylor, while reportedly a "lock" to make the roster, has never started an NFL game in his career. And we all saw what happened with EJ Manuel last season -- he was eventually spelled by Kyle Orton. The new coaching regime in Buffalo seems willing to give Manuel another shot, though. There is no denying that Buffalo's offense boasts star-studded stature: Three-time Pro-Bowl running back LeSean McCoy is set for a huge workload; healthy and freakishly talented wideout Sammy Watkins stands poised to make waves in his second season; the league's second-highest paid tight end, Charles Clay, is looking to live up to his big pay day and receiver Percy Harvin is seeking a re-emergence as more than just a "gadget" player. But if the guy delivering the ball doesn't pull his weight, the value of the weapons around him will certainly be handicapped.