This article will track important fantasy football training camp battles heading into the 2026 NFL season.
Stay updated on these training camp battles by following our fantasy football news and track usage roles with our NFL depth charts.
Jerry Jeudy vs. KC Concepcion, WR, CLE
Jerry Jeudy is all but an afterthought in most drafts, going well later than rookie first-round pick KC Concepcion out of Texas A&M/North Carolina State. It might be a little early to write off Jeudy so conclusively.
Jeudy is still only 27, and he's only two years removed from 90-catch, 1,200-yard season. He has conclusively drawn quality targets at a level befitting at least an average starting receiver, and Jeudy has produced well for the vast majority of his career despite playing with bad quarterbacks in all of those six seasons.
As good a prospect as Concepcion might be, Jeudy was unambiguously the better prospect out of Alabama when he was a rookie, and he still has those skills. Particularly with Concepcion in his age-21 rookie season, it might be unfair to expect him to displace Jeudy right away.
The good news for both players is they might be able to coexist in the Browns' offense because they should be the first and second-leading wide receivers in some order. Tight end Harold Fannin should be the third.
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Troy Franklin vs. Pat Bryant, WR, DEN
It's possible the WR3 role in Denver could be marginalized a bit in 2026. The Broncos didn't acquire Jaylen Waddle to be a part-time player, and Courtland Sutton likely isn't getting a demotion either. The Broncos will keep as many as four tight ends active on gameday and allocate a rep to the fullback position on upward of 25 percent of their snaps.
With relatively limited WR3 snaps available, especially in the slot, Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant figure to make for a spirited competition for the remaining Denver playing time at wide receiver.
Despite the crowding in the meantime, if Franklin or Bryant convincingly outplays the other, one could have subtle upside in a Denver offense that figures to throw often. Waddle has not been durable in his career, and thanks to their defense the Broncos should log one of the league's better average field position figures.
There's also a risk that neither Franklin nor Bryant totally displaces the other — indeed, coach Sean Payton likes to platoon players at times, and Franklin (vertical, YAC) and Bryant (over the middle, contested catches) have strengths where the other is weak.
Seth McGowan vs. DJ Giddens, RB, IND
There probably isn't a player in the NFL on whom more weight falls and with less talent behind him than Jonathan Taylor in Indianapolis.
To be fair to rookie seventh-round pick Seth McGowan and second-year fifth-round pick DJ Giddens, either, or both, could still turn out to be good in his own right. Unless one really takes control of the RB2 role in training camp they would probably look a little better as an RB3 or RB4 on an NFL depth chart.
Giddens' rookie year was not especially encouraging, as the rushing ability and speed he showed at Kansas State (4.43-second 40) never materialized, playing just 69 snaps and turning 26 carries into 96 yards. Even as a seventh-round pick, McGowan is capable of winning this competition.
McGowan started over and outproduced fourth-round Las Vegas pick Mike Washington when they both played at New Mexico State.
Bhayshul Tuten vs. Chris Rodriguez vs. LeQuint Allen, RB, JAX
This one looks like it might be a somewhat horizontal rotation, as each of these running backs has clear strengths but also likely limitations. That means the interests of the Jacksonville offense might not be the same as fantasy managers investing in the Jaguars' backfield.
Tuten should be the leader from scrimmage because he appears to have the most cumulative ability as a runner and receiver. Just the same, Rodriguez is potentially a better pure runner than Tuten and is doubtlessly a better power runner than Tuten. Similarly, Allen might lack rushing ability, but he's the best pass blocker of the three and likely has untapped pass-catching ability. If all are healthy, all likely will play depending on the situation.
Jadarian Price vs. George Holani vs.
Emanuel Wilson vs. Zach Charbonnet (knee), RB, SEA
As a first-round pick Jadarian Price likely will have his day to compete for a true starting role in Seattle, but expecting that outcome his rookie year might be a bit hasty.
Zach Charbonnet is reportedly making good progress in his recovery from his February surgery to repair the torn ACL he suffered against San Francisco in the divisional playoffs. When Charbonnet is back he will at least have a nominal role, and might even go straight to the top of the Seattle depth chart at that point. Even before Charbonnet returns, there are at least two formidable obstacles in Price's way.
George Holani is a strong bet to start for Seattle in Week 1 because they trust the former Boise State standout in passing situations. That makes Holani the closest on-hand analog the Seahawks have to Charbonnet, who largely forced a timeshare with Kenneth Walker specifically for passing-down considerations. Emanuel Wilson is not trusted on passing downs, by contrast, but as a power runner the free-agent pickup is fairly convincing, including at volume.
Price's big-play ability is what drew the Seahawks toward him with the 32nd overall selection this year's draft, but Price never started in college and faces a potential development curve both in terms of blitz pickup and ball security. He might finish the 2026 season stronger than he begins it.
Jordan James vs. Kaelon Black, RB, SF
Jordan James and Kaelon Black are largely similar as running backs, to the point that there might not be a true "winner" between the two as they compete to earn the RB2 role behind Christian McCaffrey.
McCaffrey does so much work that he might be able to support two handcuffs, but if James or Black can emerge as that clear RB2 then he would become one of the biggest values among RB2s league-wide.
James (5-foot-10, 205) was considered the better prospect between himself and Black (5-9, 211), even though Black was a third-round pick this year and James was a fifth-round pick in 2025. Whereas James mostly matched the production of college teammate Bucky Irving at Oregon, Black was a backup in both of his two years at Indiana, even though he's two years older than James.
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