2024 Fantasy Football Training Camp Battles: Wide Receiver

Training camps have started, are starting and will start around the NFL, meaning the NFL and fantasy football season is almost upon us. And while performance in the preseason only matters so much, one thing fantasy managers definitely need to watch through training camp and the preseason is the battle for playing time.

This time a year ago, we broke down the training camp position battles to watch, and a lot of times, the winner didn’t matter that much, but also … Jake Ferguson won the Cowboys TE battle and finished as TE9 in fantasy. Raheem Mostert emerged over Jeff Wilson and was RB5. D’Andre Swift over Rashaad Penny, Brian Robinson over Antonio Gibson, Baker Mayfield over Kyle Trask, Sam Howell over Jacoby Brissett… just being in a position battle in training camp doesn’t mean the winner can’t become a big fantasy factor in the season, and so as fantasy managers we need to stay on top of those battles.

So we’re taking a look at the position battles to watch in training camp. Sometimes, there’s an incumbent who doesn’t have a firm hold on the starting job. Sometimes, there’s a rookie pushing for a gig. Sometimes, it’s an underwhelming group of options. Regardless, whoever grabs the job has a shot in fantasy, and we need to know it.

Today: Wide receivers

Follow along with the series: QB | RB | TE

Training Camp Position Battles to Watch: Wide Receiver

Wide receiver is something of a different beast for this exercise. Teams utilize more wide receivers than any other position, so many of the examples below are contending for a secondary/slot/not primary role. But even if we’re talking about a No. 2 receiver, in most cases there should be enough work to matter even if it isn’t a competition for the No. 1 role.

Cleveland Browns

Jerry Jeudy vs. Elijah Moore

Did the Browns trade for Jerry Jeudy because they saw something in him that the Broncos didn’t and think they can unlock him? Or was it as simple as seeing a distressed asset and putting out a flyer? If it’s the former, he’s likely to shoot over Elijah Moore in the pecking order and be at least somewhat fantasy relevant. If it’s the latter, Moore might still be the WR2 in 2024. Either way, we should get an idea of that in training camp.

Buffalo Bills

Keon Coleman vs. Khalil Shakir vs. Curtis Samuel

Like Green Bay below this, this is a situation where there is no clear No. 1 receiver in Buffalo. The departures of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis opened the door for Khalil Shakir, but with the Bills signing Curtis Samuel and drafting Keon Coleman, it’s now not so clear. How these three (and KJ Hamler? Mack Hollins? Chase Claypool? Marquez Valdes-Scantling? It’s like a WR64 graveyard out there) get used in camp will tell us a lot about who will be Josh Allen’s favorite receiver in 2024.

Green Bay Packers

Jayden Reed vs. Christian Watson vs. Romeo Doubs vs. Dontayvion Wicks

Our FTN Fantasy projections have no Packers’ receiver getting 100 targets but three over 90, with Dontayvion Wicks coming in fourth with 76.4. By half-PPR points, they’d finish between WR57 (Wicks) and WR35 (Jayden Reed). So there’s a very real chance the Packers have a situation where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts in 2024, a bunch of good receivers that make an explosive overall unit but offers very little for fantasy. Even Bo Melton, the clear No. 5 on the list, first topped 2 targets in a game in Week 16 last year and then went 15-22-211 over the last three weeks. So ultimately, you probably need to steer clear of relying on a Packers receiver in fantasy, but if camp comes and one guy clearly rises above the others, he might be the one to target.

Denver Broncos

Marvin Mims Jr. vs. Troy Franklin vs. Josh Reynolds

If the Broncos are going to be good in 2024 (no sure thing), there will need to be a receiver who can offer something alongside default No. 1 Courtland Sutton. Marvin Mims Jr. has the hype after his start to his rookie year — in Weeks 2-3 last year, he had 5 receptions for 186 yards and a touchdown, plus a 45-yard punt return and two kickoff returns for 121 yards and a score, one of only four kickoff return TDs last year. But after 186 yards in Weeks 2-3, Mims had 182 the rest of the season in total. Troy Franklin is the rookie who is paired with his college quarterback in Bo Nix, but after some first-round hype in this year’s draft, he fell to the fourth round. And then Josh Reynolds has never been anyone’s first (or second) choice, but he’s persistently mattered for his offenses. In camp, we’ll have to see whether Franklin and/or Mims gets to see the usage more related to their hype than their resumes, and if not, Reynolds might be the guy to watch again.

New York Giants

Wan’Dale Robinson vs. Jalin Hyatt vs. Darius Slayton

If Malik Nabers isn’t comfortably the Giants’ WR1 in 2024, there will be a lot of lost jobs around the New York offices. But the Giants really need someone to develop as the No. 2. The main candidates are:

• Wan’Dale Robinson, who is undersized (5-foot-8) and has 752 yards in two seasons with an ACL tear in the middle, but took over as a started down the stretch last year and averaged 4.4 receptions on 6.0 targets for 45.9 yards over the last seven games.
• Jalin Hyatt, last year’s third-rounder, who played all 17 games last year but didn’t even reach 400 yards and never scored a touchdown.
• Darius Slayton, who the Giants have apparently wanted to get rid of several times over the years but has topped 700 yards in four of the last five seasons anyway.

There’s a very good chance all three battle each other for work and none of the three becomes a fantasy factor. But keep an eye on the scheme in camp to see what schemes we see from the Giants, especially with Darren Waller gone now. Hyatt and Nabers do very similar work, but if the team runs three-WR sets with them outside and Robinson in the slot, that’s a very intriguing grouping.

Seattle Seahawks

Tyler Lockett vs. Jaxon Smith-Njigba

DK Metcalf is the No. 1 receiver in Seattle. But it’s worth wondering whether the No. 2 will be the venerable veteran, Tyler Lockett (who turns 32 in September and just had his worst season since 2017 but was still top 25 in the league and first on the Seahawks in routes run) or up-and-comer Jaxon Smith-Njigba (who is 22 and a former first-rounder but came in nearly 300 yards shy of Lockett last year). Our FTN Fantasy projections have the two virtually equal in 2024, with Smith-Njigba projected for 103.7 targets and Lockett 98.8. And given Smith-Njigba’s scenario is all upside (young and projectable) while Lockett’s is floor (older and declining), it makes sense to focus on the young guy.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Roman Wilson vs. Van Jefferson vs. Calvin Austin

We know George Pickens is the WR1 in Pittsburgh in the wake of Diontae Johnson’s departure. The Steelers certainly hope and plan on rookie third-rounder Roman Wilson being the No. 2, and the public opinion of that is built on the Steelers’ wildly successful history of drafting Day 2/Day 3 receivers. But, in a point I’ve made several times in recent years, that argument doesn’t really hold up. They nailed 2010, drafting Emmanuel Sanders in the third and Antonio Brown in the sixth. Bravo, just an all-timer. But how long can you coast on that success? Check out their WR draft history since 2010:

So JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, Pickens and (briefly) Chase Claypool are the relative success stories there, and no one on the list has shown to be a consistent star. Is that enough for the reputation the Steelers have? I say no. Which is why relative hype about Wilson might be overstated. It also might not be, so he’s the key one to watch in camp, but don’t fall over yourself to believe in the “Steelers are magic WR drafters” hype.

Honorable Mention

These battles might not be that heated, but the backup names have at least been floated, so they warrant a small note.

New England Patriots: Kendrick Bourne vs. DeMario Douglas vs. Ja’Lynn Bolk vs. Javon Baker vs. JuJu Smith-Schuster

It’s very interesting to see how the pecking order works out in New England, but, like, only superficially. Because the most likely outcome, especially considering the team’s quarterback situation, is we don’t need to pay much attention to the New England receivers in 2024.

Kansas City Chiefs: Marquise Brown vs. Xavier Worthy

This battle could skyrocket or drop in relevance depending on exterior issues. If Rashee Rice gets suspended — particularly if it’s long — suddenly these two are the WR1/WR2 in Kansas City. If Travis Kelce’s lighter use in 2023 proves to be more a factor of his early-season injury and not easing up on him as he ages, these two drop down again. So we have to monitor what’s happening around Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy before we monitor the receivers themselves.

Detroit Lions: Jameson Williams vs. Kalif Raymond

Really, this is just “Can Jameson Williams get better?” If so, he’s the No. 2 receiver in Detroit with no question. If not, then it’s Kalif Raymond, but in that instance, the real answer is there really isn’t a Lions WR2.