13 Position Battles to Watch in 2026 for Fantasy Football

If it's the NFL preseason, that must mean it is time for positional battles in training camp. Fantasy football managers always have something to watch during this time, in an attempt to learn who has the leg up on certain positions across the league and see where we can turn that information into value in ADP.

In this column, we will look at 13 of the most interesting positional battles happening in camps right now. A large number of these will be determined before the season begins, but in reality, some of these could also stretch into the season to see how certain players perform when the lights are the brightest and the competition is the fiercest.

Things to look for when analyzing a position battle are: playing time distribution, starting rosters in preseason games, snap rate with the starters, situational roles (goal line, third downs, etc.), and coach speak. We are here to help you digest the most important and fantasy-relevant battles in camp.

Quarterbacks

Atlanta Falcons

This quarterback battle between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. might just be won by whoever is healthiest to start the season. But it is an important battle for backup quarterbacks and 2QB leagues, as the winner gets access to Bijan Robinson and Drake London as weapons. Penix is still recovering from ACL surgery, but the Falcons have not closed the door on him being ready to start the season. Penix is the young quarterback with high draft capital, so the Falcons certainly want him to win out, but Tagovailoa might be better able to support downfield options like London and Kyle Pitts.

Cleveland Browns

Deshaun Watson and Shedur Sanders are battling it out for the starting job in Cleveland (with Dillon Gabriel nominally in the mix, but not really). Watson opened the preseason by passing for 126 yards on 11-of-15 passes, while Sanders totaled 79 yards on 6-for-11 with an interception. Neither player looked great in the preseason game or in training camp so far, but both do provide upside with a new wide receiver corps and enough talent with their legs that they could be fantasy-relevant at some point in 2026. I expect Watson to win this role, but he will have a short leash in-season with Sanders waiting in the wings.

Las Vegas Raiders

Number one overall NFL pick Fernando Mendoza has veteran Kirk Cousins standing in his way of a starting spot as things stand right now. Cousins is participating in camp as the expected QB1 in Week 1, but it's not out of the realm of possibility that Mendoza could force their hand with an amazing camp and continued strong performances in the preseason. In his first NFL contest, Mendoza was 10-for-16 for 97 yards and a touchdown. Whether the Raiders begin giving Mendoza first-team reps could go a long way to determining where this position battle stands.

Running Backs

New England Patriots

The Patriots' running back battle is arguably the most important one to get right in fantasy football right now. Both Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson are being drafted as starters in fantasy leagues and could be useful every single week. Henderson combined for nearly 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie, but the coaching staff loves Stevenson and his durability and goal-line presence. However, if Henderson remains a backup but has the passing-down, goal-line, and third-down work for New England, he immediately becomes the more appealing pick.

Carolina Panthers

Carolina has a fascinating backfield competition going between Chuba Hubbard and Jonathan Brooks. Hubbard was the lead back in 2025 before suffering an ankle injury. Brooks, as fantasy managers well know, has suffered multiple knee injuries and is coming off of an ACL repair. The Panthers lost Rice Dowdle and his 275 carries to free agency, so there is a lot of work to go around here. Hubbard might have the slight advantage right now, but Brooks is the more explosive back when healthy, so watch this one closely to see how Brooks is deployed and how he looks after such a long layoff.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Speaking of Rico Dowble, Pittsburgh's running back competition is shaping up to look a lot like Carolina's. Dowdle signed with Pittsburgh and now competes with Jaylen Warren for high-value touches. Warren established himself last year as a dynamic NFL back, but Dowdle brings reliability between the tackles and at the goal line. What remains to be seen is who takes over the Kenneth Gainwell role from last year as the lead pass-catching back. All signs point to Jaylen Warren, and if that is the case, he will at least be the fantasy football winner of this competition.

Denver Broncos

In Denver, we have the potential for a three-headed monster camp battle. JK Dobbins is healthy (for now), RJ Harvey showed off some serious pass-catching ability and elusiveness last year, and rookie Jonah Coleman is already "turning heads" in camp and had 24 yards on four carries in the first preseason game. Does this backfield become a true committee with Dobbins getting first and second down and the goal line, Harvey getting third downs and two-minute drills, and Coleman subbing in as a backup in all roles? That is possible, but Dobbins is very injury-prone, so having a piece of all these players might pay off in the 2026 season.

Wide Receivers

Green Bay Packers

The battle for playing time between Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, and Jayden Reed should be very interesting over the next three weeks. Watson will be in on all passing downs, but who gets the spot when the Packers run two wide receiver sets? The Packers historically spread the ball around; they aren't typically a pass-heavy team with Jordan Love, and they have Tucker Kraft coming back for Week 1 at the tight end position. Because of this, fantasy managers should watch who consistently runs with the ones and, especially, who is on the field in two-receiver and red zone packages.

Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns wide receiver room changed dramatically when they drafted K.C. Concepcion and Denzel Boston this past spring. Concepcion has drawn rave reviews for his speed and route-running, while Boston has made some highlight-reel catches and is a more prototypical wide receiver in size. Do both of these receivers leapfrog Jerry Jeudy in the pecking order? If either Concepcion or Boston becomes the Browns' primary passing target, they could become one of the biggest late-round risers of draft season.

San Francisco 49ers

With Ricky Pearsall going down for the year with an injury, the San Francisco 49ers now have three legitimate options at wide receiver. I use the word "legitimate" purposefully because Brandon Aiyuk is not part of their plans, although he remains employed by San Francisco. Mike Evans and hyped rookie De'Zhaun Stribling are the likely top two candidates, especially after Stribling caught seven passes for 63 yards last weekend. However, don't sleep on Jordan Watkins, who caught six passes for 59 yards, or Deebo Samuel, who has a strong rapport with Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy. I expect Evans and Stribling to be the biggest producers in fantasy football, but this is an offense to keep an eye on.

Pittsburgh Steelers

With DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. set as the top two receivers, the Steelers are looking to fill out their room between the winner of the Roman Wilson and Germie Bernard camp battle. Whether either of these players will become fantasy-relevant remains to be seen, but should an injury befall Metcalf or Pittman, they would be thrust into a bigger role. Wilson is the veteran and has time spent in this offense with Aaron Rodgers, but Bernard is generating plenty of noise as a versatile receiver who can be deployed anywhere.

Tight Ends

New York Jets

Two young tight ends are competing for the starting spot for the New York Jets. Second-year tight end Mason Taylor showed potential as a rookie and had an 18.6% target share through nine games. But New York also went out and drafted Kenyon Sadig in the first round. Both might be deployed, as they could line up as different spots. If you are placing a bet on who might be more helpful in fantasy football, my money would go to Kenyon Sadiq. In 2025 at Oregon, he caught eight touchdowns on just 51 receptions and averaged 11.0 yards per reception in 14 games.

Los Angeles Rams

The most crowded room of any position battle on this list is the Rams' tight end position. They have Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Terrance Ferguson, and Max Kalre all seeking a major role in the pass-happy Rams offense. Parkinson was the leader in target share last season, but Higbee also saw games with a 20% target share. Ferguson was amazing around the goal line last year, and Max Klare had 94 receptions and six touchdowns in his last two college seasons. In the end, none of these may be fantasy-relevant, but if Matthew Stafford locks onto one early, this is a potent offense capable of supporting multiple receivers.