Now that everyone has played a preseason game and we are heading toward the end of training camp, it’s a good time to ask ESPN NFL Nation reporters questions that fantasy managers want to know ahead of their drafts.
How are position battles shaping up? Which players are emerging as difference-makers? How are injuries and potential suspensions impacting depth charts?
Here’s a look around the NFL with answers to the biggest fantasy questions.
What impact do you expect from Michael Penix Jr. this season?
Penix is going to make big plays. He has special arm talent and is not afraid to show it off down the field. In abbreviated action last season, Penix tied with Anthony Richardson Sr. for the league lead (minimum 100 dropbacks) in air yards per completion (8.0). Penix’s EPA per dropback (0.11) was tied for ninth in the league with Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow. However, he needs to master the short and intermediate throws, in order to avoid being a feast-or-famine quarterback. Penix’s completion percentage above expectation was fifth worst in the NFL (-5.3%). — Mark Raimondi
Will Ray Davis be a larger factor this season and eat into James Cook‘s production?
Perhaps Davis could be a bit more of a factor, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a similar split to last season among the Bills’ three backs. The team put Cook on the field for 47.6% of offensive snaps, with Davis getting opportunities (24.3%) and Ty Johnson seeing the field often on third downs (29%). Despite Cook “holding in” for much of camp before reaching a contract extension on Wednesday, the Bills did not show anything in practice to indicate a different approach this season. — Alaina Getzenberg
Will any player step forward to be the Panthers’ WR1?
Yes. First-round pick Tetairoa McMillan has all the tools to make an immediate impact. The chemistry he and quarterback Bryce Young had from the get-go showed he was an obvious upgrade from 2024 first-round pick Xavier Legette and ready to assume the role of No. 1 right away. His route running and ability to adjust to the ball on tough catches is elite. — David Newton
Do you expect new head coach Ben Johnson to make two running backs relevant in fantasy this season like he did with the Lions?
The Bears’ running back room lacks the explosion and versatility that Johnson had with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in Detroit, so the answer is no. D’Andre Swift aims to bounce back from a career-worst 3.8 yards per attempt in an offense he’s familiar with given his overlap with Johnson in Detroit in 2022. That season saw Swift run the ball 99 times for 542 yards and five touchdowns and tally 389 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 48 catches (70 targets). That dual usage is expected to continue for Swift in 2025, and while Roschon Johnson and Kyle Monangai are physical, role-playing backs, projecting the Bears to have two fantasy-relevant backs doesn’t feel realistic right now. — Courtney Cronin
How do you see the backfield usage playing out this season?
Second-round pick Quinshon Judkins remains unsigned as he continues to address a legal matter, and even if he returns to the Browns in time for the season opener, he could be subject to NFL discipline and face a multi-game suspension. That would leave Jerome Ford and fourth-round pick Dylan Sampson to split touches in the backfield until Judkins is eligible to play. — Daniel Oyefusi
Do you expect a committee approach at running back?
Brian Schottenheimer said the Cowboys spent too much time talking about a committee last year. If Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders or Jaydon Blue proves to be the best running back in training camp, he will be the starter. Schottenheimer also acknowledged the Cowboys will need more than one runner to be a successful running team. In his time as a playcaller, Schottenheimer has had a main runner (Thomas Jones with the Jets, Steven Jackson with the Rams, Chris Carson with the Seahawks) but has also had multiple backs play larger roles just as many times. There will be a mix, but it won’t be a 50-50 committee. — Todd Archer
How will the team utilize the backfield duo of RJ Harvey and J.K. Dobbins?
Make decisions now at your fantasy peril, because the Broncos haven’t decided yet. Head coach Sean Payton has promised to pump up the run game this season, and has promised both Harvey and Dobbins will get work in that plan. But at the moment it’s still unclear how those promises will be kept. The current scenario, at least the one in the preseason opener, was Harvey in the starting offense on early downs with Dobbins in for third-down situations or longer passing downs because he is more reliable as a route runner out of the backfield and as a pass protector. They are the top two backs and Dobbins was indeed signed in June because of his reliability as a third-down protector and receiver. That said, the Broncos have yet to make the call about which will have more carries. — Jeff Legwold
Will anyone emerge as the clear go-to receiver?
Now that they finally have a first-round receiver, perhaps they finally have a chance to see a WR1 emerge for the first time since Davante Adams left town. So far, Matthew Golden looks the part. Quarterback Jordan Love has heaped praise on Golden all training camp, and it’s easy to see why. Golden catches the ball cleanly and has gotten open all over the field. That said, Jayden Reed, their leading receiver each of the past two seasons, should get plenty of opportunities as well. — Rob Demovsky
How much concern is there about Joe Mixon being able to provide his usual production?
There is a little bit of concern because Mixon hasn’t practiced at all in training camp, OTAs or minicamp. Think about it like this: Mixon hasn’t taken a handoff from quarterback C.J. Stroud in a legitimate practice or game setting since Jan. 18, when the Texans lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round of the playoffs. As Mixon sits on the non-football injury list, the hope is he can get off of it before the start of the regular season so he can get some practice reps prior to Week 1. — DJ Bien-Aime
Which player is most likely to emerge as the No. 1 running back?
Travis Etienne Jr. and Tank Bigsby alternated in that role last season and that has continued throughout camp — and almost certainly will extend into the first part of the regular season. Etienne is a better receiver than Bigsby, so he has a slight advantage there, but the Jaguars also envision roles for rookies Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen. It may end up being the dreaded committee approach where they go with the hot hand each week. — Michael DiRocco
What are your expectations for Rashee Rice this season?
Many in the Chiefs organization believe Rice could be suspended for at least four games. Once Rice returns, though, he should be the Chiefs’ No. 1 receiver, a role he excelled at last season before his season-ending knee injury. In training camp, Rice appears to have regained his explosiveness and dynamic ability when he has the ball in the open field. Running routes alongside tight end Travis Kelce and speedy receiver Xavier Worthy, Rice should be targeted plenty by Patrick Mahomes against zone coverage, completions that should allow the receiver to gain several yards after the catch. — Nate Taylor
How justified is the excitement about Omarion Hampton in fantasy?
Hampton’s potential in this offense relies significantly on Najee Harris‘ status. Harris still hasn’t run at practice — at least with media present — as he recovers from an eye injury he sustained during a fireworks mishap on July 4. If Harris is healthy, these two will likely split carries, and offensive coordinator Greg Roman has shown he will ride with the hot hand. For that reason, fantasy owners should proceed cautiously with Hampton, who has a high ceiling in a complicated backfield. — Kris Rhim
Do you expect Tyreek Hill to bounce back to previous levels after a challenging 2024 season?
I don’t think we’re going to see Miami force-feed Hill like his first two seasons with the team — but that doesn’t mean we won’t see WR1 numbers from him. There are only three known receiving threats on this Dolphins offense, and another in Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, who put up big touchdown numbers in Tennessee but is still integrating into the offense. Miami will be creative in how it puts the ball in Hill’s hands now that he’s healthy, and he still remains one of the league’s premier deep-ball options. — Marcel Louis-Jacques
What are your expectations for J.J. McCarthy this season?
Given McCarthy’s inexperience and the team’s apparent commitment to the run game, the Vikings will almost certainly have the fewest dropbacks in a season since coach Kevin O’Connell arrived in 2022. McCarthy is likely to have closer to 3,000 passing yards than 4,000, and closer to 20 touchdown passes than 30. That’s the type of offense the Vikings have been setting up since the first day of training camp. As a result, they’ll almost certainly have the most carries by running backs than they’ve had previously under O’Connell. — Kevin Seifert
Which player do you trust to be a stronger regular contributor: TreVeyon Henderson or Stefon Diggs?
Henderson gets the nod because he has youth on his side and isn’t coming off a torn ACL. His 100-yard kickoff return at the start of the team’s preseason opener was an immediate statement of the explosiveness he brings to the offense, and it was also notable that his one carry went for 18 yards. Diggs has mostly done his best work in the red zone to this point, as Drake Maye has looked in his direction often in those situations, so there’s no sleeping on him, either. — Mike Reiss
How are the backfield touches trending between Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Cam Skattebo?
It’s trending heavily in favor of Tracy, in part because Skattebo has missed the past two weeks with a minor leg injury. Skattebo may be getting closer to a return, but the setback put a halt to his charge for significant carries early in the season. Tracy has taken first-team reps, almost exclusively, this summer, while Skattebo took only a handful. The rookie did flash an ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and excel in open space. That is what Skattebo’s role likely will be early in the season, with the carries split being somewhere in the 70-30 range in favor of Tracy. — Jordan Raanan
Is it true that Braelon Allen is expected to gain a larger share of the backfield this season?
Allen received 28% of the running-back carries last season, and that number will increase in 2025. The Jets want to be a run-oriented offense and, while Breece Hall will likely get the most touches, the plan is to give Allen a bigger role. Head coach Aaron Glenn loves his power and downhill running style. — Rich Cimini
Who is the better running back to roster: Kaleb Johnson or Jaylen Warren?
The reality is neither back is a “sure thing” fantasy pick. Warren has more experience and explosiveness, but Johnson is built like a more durable back. As the veteran, Warren will likely get a heavier workload early and be the starter, but Johnson will be involved plenty if his training camp reps are any indication. Warren likely has the edge on Johnson as a fantasy prospect, though, because of his pass-catching ability. Johnson wasn’t asked to do that much at Iowa, and while the rookie has the ability, Warren is more of a known commodity in Arthur Smith’s offense. — Brooke Pryor
Which player is most likely to begin the season as the No. 1 WR option?
This could change at any moment but the answer, for now, is second-year wideout Ricky Pearsall. Pearsall has moved past the hamstring injury that kept him out in the spring and has begun stringing good practices together. Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said by the end of last season Pearsall was the team’s best receiver when it came to beating man coverage. He’s continued to sharpen his route running and with many of the other wideouts dealing with injuries, including Jauan Jennings (who would be the answer here if healthy), there are plenty of opportunities for Pearsall to build on his strong finish to last season early in 2025. — Nick Wagoner
With Chris Godwin on the mend, which player is most likely to earn the most targets behind Mike Evans?
Take your pick between second-year standout Jalen McMillan and promising rookie Emeka Egbuka. McMillan finished last season with seven touchdowns in the final five games of the regular season lining up opposite Evans. And Egbuka looks every bit the part in practice, lining up on the outside and in Godwin’s role. He may end up with more targets just based on proximity to the quarterback. — Jenna Laine
