NBA Best Bets of the Day (12/2)
Alex Christenson
NFL training camp is a time to decide who does and does not make the team. But it’s also a time to sort out a pecking order. Entering 2024 training camps, we broke down the key position battles to watch at every fantasy football position. Now, with all the preseason games in the rearview and games only a few days away, it’s time to take a look at how those position battles resolved (if they did!).
Below, I’m looking at the resolution of the battles around the league at quarterback and running back. Tuesday, I’ll look at wide receiver and tight end.
2024 NFL Position Battles Revisited: Quarterback and Running Back
Quarterback
Minnesota Vikings
Battle: J.J. McCarthy vs. Sam Darnold
Resolution: Sam Darnold
There was a chance Sam Darnold would end up with the job in Minnesota regardless, because J.J. McCarthy is young and could arguably benefit from a year of education before being thrust into the fire, but a torn meniscus for the rookie ended this battle almost before it began. McCarthy will get a de facto redshirt year, and Darnold will get one more chance to show he can be a successful NFL starter.
New England Patriots
Battle: Jacoby Brissett vs. Drake Maye
Resolution: Jacoby Brissett (for now)
Drake Maye outplayed Jacoby Brissett in preseason by almost any reasonable observation, but it was going to be an uphill battle for the rookie to win the starting job given his inexperience and the Patriots’ offensive line. And that proved to be a hill he didn’t quite climb, but not because of any failure on Maye’s part. It’s just the fact that the Patriots have maybe the league’s worst offensive line, and with little chance of the team competing in 2024, it doesn’t make sense to throw Maye to the wolves quite yet.
Denver Broncos
Battle: Bo Nix vs. Zach Wilson vs. Jarrett Stidham
Resolution: Bo Nix
If Bo Nix hadn’t won this job, it would have signified a pretty big failure of a training camp for the Broncos. If a 24-year-old 12th overall pick can’t beat out a bust of a top-two pick and a journeyman fourth-rounder, that’s a bad sign. Luckily for the Broncos, Nix not only won the job, he looked really good along the way. Of course, that was mostly against backups and third stringers, but you can only face who you face. Nix is an interesting late two-QB/superflex option or a streamer.
Las Vegas Raiders
Battle: Gardner Minshew vs. Aidan O’Connell
Resolution: Gardner Minshew
Gardner Minshew is only ever going to be a C, C- quarterback. Aidan O’Connell was more like a D last year. O’Connell likely has a higher ceiling than Minshew, but even at that it’s about a C+ level. So the Raiders are rolling with the (slightly) higher floor along with the (slightly) lower ceiling. This is extremely boring regardless.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Battle: Russell Wilson vs. Justin Fields
Resolution: Russell Wilson
It never really made sense that the Steelers might roll with Justin Fields over Russell Wilson, though when Wilson battled injury for part of camp it at least became a conversation. The job is his, though if he struggles, the conversations will not end anytime soon.
New York Giants
Battle: Daniel Jones vs. Drew Lock
Resolution: Daniel Jones
Seattle Seahawks
Battle: Geno Smith vs. Sam Howell
Resolution: Geno Smith
Neither of these was ever really a battle. The incumbents are the starters.
Running Back
Pittsburgh Steelers
Battle: Najee Harris vs. Jaylen Warren
Resolution: Mostly Najee Harris
Jaylen Warren’s preseason hamstring strain looks like it won’t cost him much time (if at all — he might play Week 1). But it did lock Najee Harris in as the primary back at least to open the season. Expect Harris to dominate work, but Warren’s pass-catching ability still gives him plenty of PPR value.
Carolina Panthers
Battle: Jonathon Brooks vs. Chuba Hubbard vs. Rashaad Penny vs. Miles Sanders
Resolution: Chuba Hubbard (for now)
This battle got pared down for us, with Rashaad Penny retiring and Jonathon Brooks staying on the non-football injury list for at least the first month of the season. That locks Chuba Hubbard in as the starter at least until Brooks is back and keeps Miles Sanders employed — if the other running backs had worked out, Sanders might have been out of a job. He’ll need to show something early in the season if he still wants to be on the roster when Brooks is ready. Meanwhile, Hubbard has a chance to be fantasy-relevant from at least a quantity standpoint.
Cincinnati Bengals
Battle: Zack Moss vs. Chase Brown
Resolution: Both?
Zack Moss was the early popular favorite to lead this backfield after the Bengals signed him in free agency, but in the end, he and Chase Brown have complementary skill sets, and it looks like Cincinnati will roll with a tandem. Brown certainly has the higher upside, but ultimately it’s hard to envision either climbing into the RB2 ranks, but also they should both offer borderline flex value.
Los Angeles Chargers
Battle: Gus Edwards vs. J.K. Dobbins vs. Kimani Vidal
Resolution: Edwards and Dobbins
After a brief worry that things had gotten so bad for Kimani Vidal that he might not even make the roster, he righted the ship and bit and is hanging around, but it’s pretty clear the Chargers are going to open with J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards as the starting tandem. Dobbins looks healthy, and if that’s the case, (a) score one for 21st century medicine, and (b) he has elite fantasy upside.
Tennessee Titans
Battle: Tony Pollard vs. Tyjae Spears
Resolution: Tony Pollard (barely?)
It looks like the Titans are going to roll with almost a pure committee to open the season, with the two backs alternating drives more often than not. That said, Tony Pollard is going to get the first go most of the time, and I’ve been touting him as a post-hype sleeper most of the offseason.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Battle: Rachaad White vs. Bucky Irving
Resolution: Rachaad White
There was never really a non-injury scenario that Bucky Irving would completely unseat Rachaad White in Tampa, but if Irving had really come out and torn things up, he might have made it a 1A/1B situation. For now, though, White remains the quasi-bell cow in Tampa. Keep an eye on the more-efficient-on-the-ground Irving, though, because if he can seize the job he could be very interesting.
Cleveland Browns
Battle: D’Onta Foreman vs. Jerome Ford vs. Nick Chubb
Resolution: Jerome Ford (for now)
It doesn’t come as any big surprise that Nick Chubb won’t be ready to open the season. He’ll miss at least the first month on PUP, and it could be longer than that (and even longer before he’s a full go). Jerome Ford beat out D’Onta Foreman for the interim gig, though the team did bring Foreman back once Tyler Huntley was released, so Foreman will get work as well.
Washington Commanders
Battle: Austin Ekeler vs. Brian Robinson Jr.
Resolution: Brian Robinson Jr. (we think?)
At least to open the season, this is likely to be mostly a split, but Brian Robinson Jr. got more first-team reps in practice and preseason games. This is a 55/45 situation, though.
Arizona Cardinals
Battle: James Conner vs. Trey Benson
Resolution: James Conner
Las Vegas Raiders
Battle: Zamir White vs. Alexander Mattison
Resolution: Zamir White
Minnesota Vikings
Battle: Aaron Jones vs. Ty Chandler
Resolution: Aaron Jones
These were three situations where the starter was pretty much known, but the battle was whether the No. 2 could force his way into making it more of a committee. And in all three cases, it looks like, for now at least, the starter is going to be the bell cow.
