2026 Fantasy Football IDP - AFC Training Camp Battles To Watch

Aug 01, 2026

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This time of year, our social media feeds are full of highlight reel plays, mainly by uber-talented offensive players in shorts and a T-shirt against little to no defensive competition. I don't want to be the guy who shows up and downplays all of it because, after all, we're all just excited that football is almost back. But most of it is completely irrelevant.

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There are nuggets of meaningful information that come out at this time of year, though. Positional battles that are won and lost on those practice fields, and while the offensive depth charts and pecking orders get a lot more attention, I thought it'd be a useful exercise to go around the league and look at each team and highlight an IDP-relevant battle that's taking place between now and Week 1. There are a few instances, though, where it looks like everything that's IDP-relevant is decided barring injuries. That's good news for us IDP'ers, because we like a clean depth chart.

2026 IDP - AFC Training Camp Battles To Watch

AFC East

Buffalo Bills

Buffalo's LB2 competition might be over before it starts. I'm drafting Kaleb Elarms-Orr every opportunity I get, and I think you should too. Tackle machine Dorian Williams is the veteran standing in KEO's way, but Williams is a limited player and has struggled to earn playing time for a reason, despite all the injuries that Buffalo has had at linebacker over the past few seasons. KEO is LB110 according to the FantasyPros Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) right now, which is laughable.

Miami Dolphins

I'm not sure I'd frame the Miami linebacker situation as an open camp competition, but I'm not sure how the Dolphins keep Jacob Rodriguez off the field. Jordyn Brooks isn't going anywhere. Tyrel Dodson played well for them last season and wore the green dot as the team's signal-caller. The reality is, this is a team that's going to struggle to win 4-5 games this season. Dodson is a trade candidate more than someone who would just get benched, but I'm letting Dodson slide past me in drafts because his situation is more volatile than it appears on paper.

I'm also intrigued by their safety room, with Dante Trader a likely starter and the safest of the group, alongside Lonnie Johnson Jr. and Texas rookie Michael Taaffe.

New England Patriots

The Patriots don't have a clear-cut camp battle that's going to impact IDP leagues as of this writing. There are snaps to be won along the defensive line, but that's standard. With Jack Gibbens now in Arizona, it looks like Christian Elliss is the clear front-runner for the LB2 role ahead of K.J. Britt and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Elliss is a pretty good value if you need linebacker snaps late in your draft.

New York Jets

The Jets have a lot of new faces on defense this season, particularly in the secondary. Minkah Fitzpatrick is a sure-fire starter, but who gets the first crack next to him feels like a three-man race. Veteran Andre Cisco is back after injuries shortened his 2025 campaign, as is Malachi Moore, who was a solid IDP contributor down the stretch as a rookie last season. The Jets also signed Dane Belton from the Giants, who's been super productive in limited bursts, particularly in tackle-heavy formats.

Moore has a path to playing time at nickel as well, but that's not clean either after the Jets drafted D'Angelo Ponds, who profiles exclusively as a slot corner. For IDP purposes, Belton or Moore offer more ceiling than Cisco does, but this is definitely a situation to monitor in deeper leagues because the winner of the job could have sneaky upside.

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens

Ravens linebacker Teddye Buchanan tore his ACL late last season, but the reports are extremely positive, and he may not miss much time, if any. Trenton Simpson earned the LB2 role next to Roquan Smith during camp last season, but played poorly and was eventually benched. It's a new scheme in Baltimore this season, but head coach Jesse Minter has been willing to play with one traditional linebacker at times, and Kyle Hamilton can be a de facto LB at times from an alignment standpoint. The winner of this job needs to be rostered in deeper leagues, but likely isn't making a huge impact.

Cincinnati Bengals

Boye Mafe, Myles Murphy, Cashius Howell, and Shemar Stewart will battle for snaps, but outside of Mafe, I don't think it's going to be an IDP-rich room. I also believe that Jordan Battle will hold off Kyle Dugger for snaps at strong safety, but Dugger's addition has impacted my ability to trust Battle fully when I'm on the clock in drafts.

Cleveland Browns

Grant Delpit signed a lucrative extension last week, and while I didn't think his role was in jeopardy, that certainly solidifies his projected snap share in 2026. Ronnie Hickman is back as well, and the Browns also selected Emmanuel McNeil-Warren in the second round of April's draft. EMW is a nice complement to Delpit, and his chances of taking over for Hickman improve since the coaching staff is new in 2026. Right now, I'm avoiding both players, but it's a situation to monitor since EMW could also earn a role in nickel.

Pittsburgh Steelers

I desperately want to see a 90%+ snap share for Payton Wilson, but I'm not sure we'll get there. I'd take 80% if we're being honest. New defensive coordinator Patrick Graham often got more out of the Raiders defense than the talent on the field would show, so I'm bullish on the unit overall. But with Patrick Queen the likely green-dot LB1, it appears Wilson still needs to hold off Cole Holcomb and Malik Harrison for snaps as the LB2.

AFC South

Houston Texans

You don't have the best defense in the AFC if you come to camp with a bunch of positional battles, so the Texans depth chart is mostly settled. With E.J. Speed lost for the season during OTAs, there is the chance for someone to emerge and stake claim to the LB3 role behind Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To'oTo'o, with Marte Mapu and Jake Hansen the likely next in line.

Indianapolis Colts

Could the Colts roll out two rookie linebackers this season? We know CJ Allen will get the start, and he's back at practice after missing a bit of time with a calf injury, but the spot next to him is unsettled. Veteran Akeem Davis-Gaither is likely the starter to begin the season, and he's a viable plug-and-play starter in deeper leagues if the matchup is good, but his role feels far from safe. Oregon's Bryce Boettcher could be knocking on the door here.

Jacksonville Jaguars

With Devin Lloyd now in Carolina, there's an opening alongside Foye Oluokun in Jacksonville. I'm projecting Ventrell Miller as the LB2 right now, and Miller is interesting for us IDP gamers because he's been a highly efficient tackler in his limited reps to date. Branson Combs is making noise in camp as well, but for now, I think Miller locks this up with a good camp and has sneaky upside in tackle-heavy formats.

Tennessee Titans

I wasn't a huge Anthony Hill Jr. fan in the pre-draft process, but for IDP, opportunity is king at linebacker and the only thing keeping the rookie off the field is Cody Barton. The Texas rookie might not be the Week 1 starter alongside Cedric Gray, but Barton isn't good enough to hold him off. Considering the Titans are unlikely to make the playoffs this season, evaluating someone like Hill will be a priority sooner rather than later.

AFC West

Denver Broncos

Like the Texans, Denver has one of the premier units, and most of the starting roles are clearly locked up. One situation to monitor here is edge Jonathan Cooper. Cooper had a busy offseason, and not in a good way, with multiple off-the-field issues that could lead to a league-mandated suspension. That shines a light on the Broncos' edge depth opposite Nik Bonitto. One of Jonah Elliss, Que Robinson, or Dondrea Tillman could emerge with deep league value depending on what shakes out with Cooper.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs revamped their secondary this offseason. I'm not sure there's a ton of IDP upside here other than Chamarri Conner, but I'll be interested to see how the depth chart lays out as we head into Week 1.

Las Vegas Raiders

I don't know if he'll be an every-down player, particularly early in the season, but it sounds like the Raiders want to find a way to get Treydan Stukes on the field. Stukes, a rookie out of Arizona, played all over the field for the Wildcats. The Raiders signed former Bills nickel Taron Johnson this offseason, making Stukes a natural fit at safety. Jeremy Chinn's role is unique and safe, which makes Isaiah Pola-Mao the one to watch. I'm not looking to draft Pola-Mao or Stukes in redraft, but Stukes is a name to add to your watch list as soon as the draft ends.

Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers have playing-time battles at all levels of the defense, but the one that's most IDP-relevant is the LB2 role. No one's excited to click Denzel Perryman when they're on the clock, but it's more likely than not that he's starting and leading this group alongside Daiyan Henley. Troy Dye was behind Perryman last season but filled in when the veteran was injured, and Junior Colson is more likely to be cut than to earn a starting job.

They also have playing time battles in the secondary, but it's not something I expect will matter in redraft leagues.