Fantasy Football Training Camp Battles: Running Backs

Michael Fabiano | Aug 23, 2024

Running back Tony Pollard (20) participates in drills during the Tennessee Titans mandatory mini-camp at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, June 6, 2024. / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA

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It’s officially summertime, which means NFL training camps are in full swing and important depth chart battles have begun. With the fantasy football draft season here, you need the 411 on which camp battles are the most important to monitor across the NFL.

In an effort to help educate you, the fantasy football fanatic, I’ll be researching the most important camp competitions at each of the four major offensive skill positions ahead of 2024 fantasy drafts: Quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends.

In this article, I’ll focus on the runners.

With more teams going with backfield committees, many offenses will continue to feature two players this season. For example, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery aren’t in a “camp battle,” because both will see plenty of touches. The same goes for the backfield situation in Washington, where Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler will share duties. As a result, I’ve excluded those backfields and focused more on actual camp competitions.

In order to see what Vegas thinks about some of these notable backfield battles, I’ve also included rushing yardage leader odds for some players according to DraftKings.

Panthers: Jonathon Brooks vs. Chuba Hubbard vs. Miles Sanders

Brooks, a second-round pick out of Texas, is the heavy favorite to lead the Panthers on the ground. He’s at +5000 to win the rushing title, while Hubbard and Sanders are both at +10000. Brooks also laps his competition based on the average draft position (ADP) data at the , where he’s coming off the board at 95.3. Hubbard is second at 140.6. Brooks did open camp on the active/non-football injury list as he recovers from a torn ACL, but he’s the obvious and easy choice in fantasy drafts.

Titans: Tony Pollard vs. Tyjae Spears

Pollard was one of the Titans’ big offseason additions, but he figures to be in a committee with Spears. In fact, head coach Brian Callahan doesn’t view either as the clear starter, calling both “starting players.” Both are at +10000 to win the rushing title, but Pollard does have a slight lead in terms of ADP, coming off the board around 12 spots higher. That, to me, makes Spears the more attractive option from a fantasy draft perspective. Regardless, I wouldn’t choose either as more than an RB3/flex option in most leagues.

Broncos: Javonte Williams vs. Samaje Perine

I wouldn’t have listed Williams and Perine in this column, but Broncos beat writer Troy Renck believes they’re in camp. I personally can’t see Williams being cut, but it’s possible that Perine could be pushed aside in favor of rookie Audric Estime. This is mostly about who will serve as the fantasy handcuff, at least in my mind, so I’d be keeping tabs on what happens to this depth chart situation during training camp.

Chargers: Gus Edwards vs. J.K. Dobbins vs. Kimani Vidal

This backfield figures to be a confusing mess that should be avoided until the later rounds of drafts. Edwards is the favorite to start in my mind, and he’s at +6000 to win the rushing title. Dobbins comes in at +8000, and Vidal isn’t listed. Of course, Edwards and Dobbins both know the offense of coordinator Greg Roman based on their time in Baltimore and likely have the edge on Vidal as a result. However, the rookie fits the mold of a Roman-type runner and could push for touches as the season progresses. I’ve been grabbing him in best-ball as a RB5, and I like him as a late flier in redrafts. Ultimately, though, this could be a difficult backfield to navigate, so don’t draft any of them in a prominent role.

Aug 20, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller (25) runs the ball while defended by Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Deane Leonard (33) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports / Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Saints: Kendre Miller vs. Jamaal Williams

Alvin Kamara is the clear-cut featured back in New Orleans, but who is his handcuff? Most like Miller, who is entering his second pro season, ahead of Williams, who is 29 and coming off a bad year. Miller has a massive lead in terms of average draft position, as he’s being picked way ahead of Williams. Maybe interestingly though, Miller doesn’t have odds to win the rushing title but Williams is listed at +10000. Miller has also been dealing with a hamstring injury, which is already hurting his ADP.

Packers: AJ Dillon vs. MarShawn Lloyd

The Packers added Josh Jacobs in the offseason, and he’ll be the top runner in what should be an improved backfield. The question is behind him, where Dillon and Lloyd will battle for the second spot on the depth chart. The high stakes folks favor Lloyd by a mile, as he has an ADP of 154.5. By comparison, Dillon is barely even on the radar at 240. Lloyd is also at +15000 to win the rushing title, while Dillon has no odds. To me, Lloyd is the choice.

Buccaneers: Bucky Irving vs. Chase Edmonds

The Buccaneers will continue to feature Rachaad White, who was a top-five fantasy back last season, but who will be his handcuff? My money is on Irving, who should have an easy transition based on his experience in the gap-blocking scheme in college. The rookie is also far ahead of Edmonds based on current NFFC ADP data.

Bills: Ty Johnson vs. Ray Davis

James Cook is the top back in Buffalo, and he’s one of my favorite breakouts among running backs. However, the question about his top backup remains heading into camp. Most in the high-stakes world like rookie Ray Davis, whose ADP is at 169.5. No other Bills runner has an ADP higher than 273.5, in fact. Davis, who ran a lot of gap at Kentucky, should be able to fit right in should Cook suffer an injury or be forced to miss time.