Depth Chart Watch: Training Camp Job Battles

The NHL and NBA finally ended this month, while baseball's not even halfway through the regular season. But hey, by this point, first place has become a distant dream to fantasy owners in the bottom half of their league's standings. You know what that means: time to start thinking about your fantasy football team! Let's take a nigh-absurdly early look at how a new season's position battles will shake out, shall we? (Note that not every team has position battles on its hands; if there's a specific depth situation you want me to cover that I left out, feel free to ask in the comments.)

QUARTERBACKS

Cleveland Browns
New acquisition Robert Griffin is theoretically in a battle with Josh McCown and rookie Cody Kessler for the starting job, but let's be honest with ourselves, the Browns didn't bring the big name in to ride the pine. McCown is a 36-year-old vet who in no way represents this team's future, while Kessler was widely considered a reach as a third-round pick. It's hard to know what to expect from RG3 at this point in his tumultuous career, but it's also hard not to see him as an improvement over what Cleveland rolled out there last season, McCown included.

Denver Broncos
Broncos fans have to be smarting at the change in their fortunes at quarterback over the last year. First, they downgraded suddenly from a full-bore, Hall-of-Fame-quality Peyton Manning to an empty husk with Peyton Manning's face drawn on it. Then they turned to Brock Osweiler -- not as exciting as we might have hoped, but also not a disaster, which was an improvement. Now, they have Mark Sanchez as their presumptive No. 1, but he's legitimately battling seventh-round draft pick Trevor Siemian for the starting role. That's not a good look. First-round draft pick Paxton Lynch is lurking in the wings, but it seems like the Broncos are (rightly) committed to giving him development time rather than rushing him in to be the savior.

Los Angeles Rams
The Rams' inaugural year in Hollywood wouldn't be complete without a glitzy No. 1 overall draft pick in Jared Goff, who's widely expected to start under center. The competition isn't exactly intense, with Case Keenum no man's starter and Nick Foles seemingly unlikely to stick around.

New York Jets
The latest word on the Ryan Fitzpatrick situation is… nothing. The veteran enjoyed the best season of his career last year, setting highs in yardage (3,905) and touchdowns (31), but the Jets rightly don't want to burden themselves with a big contract for a 33-year-old journeyman quarterback (albeit one with a Harvard education, as we're reminded on every single week's game broadcast). That leaves the two sides in a standoff in which Fitzpatrick is apparently leaving a $12 million salary for this season on the table, which if you ask me is mental. But no one asked me. Anyway, never fear, Jets fans! If they don't sign Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith doesn't work out as the replacement starter (he won't), they can always turn to 2015 fourth-round project pick Bryce Petty or 2016 second-round project pick Christian Hackenberg. What could go wrong?

Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles went out and picked Carson Wentz second overall in this year's draft, but incumbent Sam Bradford doesn't seem to be threatened by either Wentz or offseason acquisition Chase Daniel. If Bradford does struggle or get hurt, though, it seems likely that Daniel will be the one to step in while Wentz holds the clipboard and soaks up knowledge from the veterans.

San Francisco 49ers
This situations remains distinctly unresolved, as Colin Kaepernick never ended up changing homes in the offseason and Blaine Gabbert is still here after acquitting himself decently in the second half of last year. With Chip Kelly's high-volume offense set to be deployed by the Niners, whoever plays quarterback is in a strong position to return solid fantasy value, but don't expect stardom from either of these guys.

RUNNING BACKS

Arizona Cardinals
It took a while for David Johnson to start paying dividends for those who scooped him up in last season's drafts, but once he did, he took off like a firework, though his 59-yard, no-TD Week 16 performance against Seattle certainly doomed many a fantasy franchise. He'll open as the no-doubt lead back for the Cardinals this year and will probably be a universal top-five draft selection. Chris Johnson and the knee/foot injury formerly known as Andre Ellington will serve as the backups and neither promises to make a big fantasy impacts unless David suffers an injury.

Atlanta Falcons
At this time last year, we were wondering whether Devonta Freeman or Tevin Coleman would end up as the lead back for the Falcons, and for those who guessed Freeman, we salute you. Although Coleman certainly did strut his stuff when he was given the opportunity (his 4.5 YPC was half-yard better than Freeman's), he was relegated to a distinctly secondary role after losing out on the starting gig in camp. That said, I expect Coleman to see a bigger split of the work this year, especially if Freeman's second-half decline in efficiency persists. It seems like the most intelligent deployment would have Freeman doing the grinding and pass-catching while Coleman takes the early-down work, but offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan doesn't seem to like splitting the touches that way if he can help it.

Baltimore Ravens
Year 2 of the Justin Forsett revolution came to a crashing halt when he broke his arm in Week 10 last season, and Javorius Allen showed enough in the second half to threaten Forsett's status as the No. 1 back this year. The ex-journeyman Forsett may have prettier numbers on the back of his football card than those Allen offered as a rookie, but he's also going to turn 31 in October, which is retirement age by his position's standards. It does help, though, that Forsett has less mileage on him than your typical rusher. This is a battle worth watching throughout training camp and into the opening weeks of the season. The Ravens also spent a fourth-round pick on Kenneth Dixon, an explosive runner with great receiving skills who should be on your watch list in case one of the top two guys gets hurt.

Buffalo Bills
Backup rusher Karlos Williams apparently showed up to minicamp out of shape, which is concerning to those who hope to see him break off a bigger chunk of starter LeSean McCoy's workload. For Shady's part, an ankle injury promises to keep him out of preseason action, but he should be out there as the No. 1 back in Week 1. The Bills also used a fifth-round draft pick on Jonathan Williams, who will try to peel away some of the other Williams' touches, but he may be rough around the edges after missing all of the 2015 college season because of a foot injury. The occasionally big-run-breaking Mike Gillislee is kickin' around here, too, but won't likely see more than single-digit touches in any given week.

Carolina Panthers
Jonathan Stewart remains the main man here, but we all know his injury-prone ways, so Cameron Artis-Payne should be near-universally drafted. And, with an accompanying grain of salt, he's reportedly worked hard on his conditioning over the offseason.

Chicago Bears
The early word on the post-Matt Forte era in Chicago has conflicted on the particulars, but the one certainty is that Jeremy Langford is the favorite to start. His competition for touches is Ka'Deem Carey, Jacquizz Rodgers and fifth-round rookie Jordan Howard -- and it may well be that Howard's the clear No. 2 here, as Carey's largely been a bust and Rodgers is a depth guy. That makes him worth watching in camp and perhaps drafting speculatively, as Langford wasn't actually all that great on the whole last year (3.6 YPC).

Cincinnati Bengals
We're in for another season of The Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard Show, with things fairly likely to break out much as they did last season -- roughly a two-thirds majority of the rushes for Hill while Bernard catches 40-plus passes. That said, Hill was much less effective last year than in his rookie season (3.6 YPC, way down from 5.1), while Bernard actually improved his efficiency (4.7 YPC, up from 4.0) -- a set of facts that scares me away from spending an early pick or big money on Hill. His goal-line usage gives him a nice fantasy floor, but if Hill can't run more effectively on early downs, Bernard should start eating into his workload.

Cleveland Browns
Good news, everyone! The Browns still want to hand the ball to Isaiah Crowell, with coach Hue Jackson giving him a big-time vote of confidence last month. That said, I'll be a monkey's uncle (do people still say that? No? Cool) if, health permitting, Duke Johnson doesn't get more carries than Crowell this season. He'll surely catch plenty of passes again too, and it's not hard to see him yielding more than 1,000 total yards for his fantasy owners, who should be able to get solid draft-day value on him. Looking deep, it's worth remembering the name of Terrell Watson, a thickly built undrafted free agent who was a touchdown machine in college (albeit Division II). He's probably a better fit for short-yardage work than Crowell, but the Browns may take their sweet time realizing it.

Dallas Cowboys
Darren McFadden's elbow surgery has made it pretty much a sure thing that Ezekiel Elliott, the No. 4 pick in this year's draft, will open the season as the Cowboys' starting running back. It's likely that he'll never look back unless injury strikes -- Alfred Morris is best suited for backup duty, while Lance Dunbar's a third-down specialist, at best (and coming off a torn ACL). The Cowboys did add another rookie back in Darius Jackson, who could ultimately end up pushing one of those vets off the roster. But let's stick to the headline here, which is that the coaches are already running out of superlatives for Elliott, who should make an instant impact like what we saw from Todd Gurley last year.

Denver Broncos
Familiar names C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman top this depth chart, but keep an eye on fourth-round rookie Devontae Booker, who seems to be held in terrifically high regard by the Broncos' coaching staff. However, he's coming off a torn meniscus and likely won't be able to carve out a major role until the second half of the season.

Detroit Lions
Ameer Abdullah no longer has to deal with Joique Bell, giving him a golden opportunity to claim a strong majority of the Lions' carries this year. However, the 23-year-old was an inconsistent rusher and a less-capable-than-advertised pass catcher in his rookie year. Perhaps that gives him a chip on his shoulder and something to prove, or perhaps it means that he lacks both the size and speed to be an NFL starter. Fortunately, he has minimal competition for now -- the second-best rusher on Detroit's roster is Theo Riddick, and he's no man's three-down back (at nearly precisely Abdullah's same height and weight, I should note). I think Zach Zenner deserves a legitimate shot and he's going to get it; seventh-round pick Dwayne Washington has impressive athleticism, but likely a very limited role to start out. I suppose I'm legally obliged to mention Stevan Ridley; while it's good that he's now put great distance between his ACL tear and the present day, recapturing the ol' New England glory days behind Abdullah and a subpar Lions line is hard to imagine.

Houston Texans
The Texans imported Lamar Miller from Miami to replace the ghost of Arian Foster as their No. 1 running back. He's backed up by third-year rusher Alfred Blue, who doesn't seem likely to overtake Miller. Blue was horribly inconsistent last year and most of his production came against the league's worst run defenses. Fourth-round rookie Tyler Ervin could earn a look as the third-down back occasionally.

Indianapolis Colts
Frank Gore is salty about breaking his streak of 1,000-yard rushing seasons last year, but it's hard to imagine him starting a new one at 33 years old, an age at which most running backs play a lot of golf and attempt to make it as TV commentators. Unfortunately, there's a severe lack of upside behind him, with Robert Turbin by far the most interesting name on that list, which isn't saying much.

Jacksonville Jaguars
The addition of Chris Ivory should be a good one for the Jags' offense, as Ivory lacks the durability to carry the ball 240-plus times again this year, and he won't have to, as he could conceivably split off 40 percent of the carries to second-year rusher T.J. Yeldon, who's coming off a sometimes-promising rookie campaign that created durability questions of his own. Denard Robinson's still here to play a bit part too.

Miami Dolphins
With Lamar Miller gone, Jay Ajayi is now the main man in the Miami backfield, though it's hard to judge what we can expect from the 2015 fifth-rounder -- last season's 3.8 YPC didn't impress, and he caught just seven passes in nine games. The offseason reports have been positive, but it's hard to buy into an Ajayi resurgence sight unseen, so it'll be nice to witness him impressing in camp. If that doesn't materialize, 2016 third-round pick Kenyan Drake (leg) could sneak up on him; Drake's a playmaker, and Miami badly needs someone to break big plays in the running game.

New England Patriots
It was a crushing blow to fantasy owners when Dion Lewis tore his ACL last season, as the Eagles washout was in the midst of a New England reinvention, netting 622 total yards and four touchdowns through seven games. But he participated in OTAs and appears set to return at the beginning of this season; his co-chair, LeGarrette Blount (hip), didn't appear in OTAs, but is expected to be ready in time to split the load. James White isn't likely to enjoy much of a role unless one of those two (especially Lewis) gets hurt.

New York Jets
Hey, at least if the Jets don't have a quarterback, they've got someone to hand the ball to. Matt Forte may be entering the twilight of his career, but is still a better-rounded and arguably more durable runner than the departed Chris Ivory. You can be sure the Jets will look to take advantage of his receiving skills out of the backfield. Bilal Powell's still here in a backup role, and it wouldn't be surprising if at some point the Jets got one or two big weeks out of Khiry Robinson.

Philadelphia Eagles
Well, the DeMarco Murray era in Philly was brief and tumultuous, and in its aftermath, fellow 2015 free-agent addition Ryan Mathews is set to more or less be the Eagles' No. 1 back, with Darren Sproles in a passing-heavy 1A role. The dark horse to keep an eye on is Wendell Smallwood, a fifth-round pick in this year's draft who led the Big 12 in rushing last season. He's a shorter, almost stocky, yet very speedy back sort of in the mold of Ray Rice, but hopefully without the off-field issues.

San Diego Chargers
Melvin Gordon's rookie season was a huge disappointment no matter how you slice it, as he averaged only 3.5 YPC, lost four fumbles and failed to score a touchdown. Ugly. He still has the same complements in Danny Woodhead and Branden Oliver, and one has to imagine that their playing time will again hinge on Gordon's performance. Former training-squad guy Dreamius Smith (great name, right?) and undrafted signee Kenneth Farrow should get shots at making a mark in training camp.

San Francisco 49ers
After a 2015 cut short by injury, Carlos Hyde is the surefire No. 1, and the word out of the Bay Area is that he's going to take on a bigger role in the passing game, which could turn him into a legitimate three-down back and fantasy stud. That's the upside, and there's not a ton of downside here, as the Niners' cup no longer runneth over with running backs as it did in the old days.

Seattle Seahawks
The Marshawn Lynch era is over, so the Seahawks are going to have to find someone else to go Beast Mode. Thomas Rawls (ankle) certainly impressed before getting hurt last year, and he's set to be the top rusher as long as he's healthy. Christine Michael's still here (again), and he'll occupy a backup role after looking good following his return to Seattle late last year. The Seahawks went shopping for rushers in the draft, snapping up C.J. Prosise (third round), Alex Collins (fifth) and Zac Brooks (seventh), and Prosise seems to have the clearest path to playing time in third-down situations, but we should get a better idea of where things stand once we see these rookies in preseason action.

Tennessee Titans
The Titans' running game was absolutely miserable last year, but they went ahead and did something about it, trading for DeMarco Murray and then drafting Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry in the second round. I hope no one was surprised when Murray was ineffective last season following an absurd 392 carries with Dallas the year before, confirming for Chip Kelly the lesson that all reasonable NFL fans learned from Larry Johnson (remember?) after his 2006. In any case, Murray may actually enter this year refreshed after carrying less than 200 times last season, and he'll surely split off a nice chunk of the carries (especially around the goal line) to Henry as the Titans look to keep both backs healthy.

Washington Redskins
Those who, like me, rode the Matt Jones train last year suffered great disappointment -- but hey, it's a new season and a new opportunity to draft him all over again! Hopefully he can improve his efficiency and stop fumbling. Alfred Morris is gone, leaving Jones as the top carrier and a potential three-down back for the Redskins, who amazingly still haven't changed their name. You can't say Dan Snyder doesn't have willpower. Chris Thompson is the backup, and he should have some occasional PPR usefulness after showing well in the passing game last season. Ultra-speedy seventh-rounder Keith Marshall is your dark horse.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Arizona Cardinals
Once again, Larry Fitzgerald and the ever-frustrating Michael Floyd will be the Cardinals' top two receivers, at least on paper. However, third-year man John Brown should be a popular pick as well, and it wouldn't be a big surprise to see him generate more value than both the inconsistent Floyd and the aging Fitz, who should not -- I repeat, not -- be expected to reproduce last season's 109 catches for 1,215 yards). Ultra-fast deep threat J.J. Nelson should also merit some consideration, as injuries or impressive demonstrations of his big-play ability could earn him some looks in what should be a high-volume passing game.

Baltimore Ravens
At 37 years old and coming off an Achilles tear, Steve Smith still hasn't had enough -- he's planning to come back and play another season. I won't be drafting him because my faith in any player coming back from that injury is low, and my faith in a guy this old doing so is even lower. Perhaps Smith will prove me wrong -- he's spent his whole career proving people wrong, especially me -- but that's a risk I'm willing to take. The Ravens picked up Mike Wallace during the offseason, and while he could be invigorated by leaving Minnesota's dumpster fire of a passing offense, Joe Flacco & Co. aren't exactly offering the most spectacular of upgrades. Kamar Aiken showed some good stuff in spurts last year, particularly after Smith's injury, but it seems clear that he's well short of star material. Meanwhile, we're still waiting for signs of health from 2015 first-round pick Breshad Perriman, who missed all of last year with a knee issue and now has a partial ACL tear in his other knee. Until positive news comes out on that front, count on nothing from Perriman so that you can only be pleasantly surprised.

Buffalo Bills
Top dog Sammy Watkins is coming back from offseason foot surgery, but he is expected to be ready for the start of the season. That's good because the depth chart behind him is full of no-names, though offseason reports have been positive about Robert Woods as he enters his fourth year in the league. They do have a couple rookies with potential in lanky seventh-rounder Dezmin Lewis and ultra-speedy sixth-rounder Kolby Listenbee, but it's hard to expect instant impact from those guys.

Carolina Panthers
Remember when Kelvin Benjamin was the Panthers' No. 1 receiver before he missed all of last season because of a torn ACL? Well, he's expected back for training camp and should resume that role. That'll be a big boost to Cam Newton and a wideout corps that didn't do a whole lot despite its quarterback's massive season last year. Ted Ginn is a bad bet to replicate his 10 touchdowns, but he, Philly Brown and Devin Funchess (who came on intriguingly in the second half last season and makes for a nice value pick this year) will be the secondary targets behind Benjamin and TE Greg Olsen.

Chicago Bears
Alshon Jeffery should be back in full force this season, resuming his spot as the team's top pass-catcher. The hope is that Kevin White -- who was drafted in the first round last year, but missed the whole season to injury -- can step in on the other side and provide Jay Cutler with a competent secondary target, in turn providing fantasy owners with a solid receiving piece. Eddie Royal struggled in his first season with the Bears, but he seems locked into the No. 3 slot, especially with Marquess Wilson having fractured the same foot twice in the space of six months or so.

Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals lost Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu to free agency, but they picked up a decent veteran in Brandon LaFell as well as an intriguing rookie in second-round draft pick Tyler Boyd, who is expected to be a solid possession receiver. Obviously, A.J. Green remains the big man on campus and one of the elite receivers in the game, but the Bengals are taking a bit of a gamble across from him, as LaFell has never really excelled and it's unclear what Boyd will offer in his first NFL season. The Bengals also drafted a second receiver, using a sixth-round pick on Cody Core, who has a nice size-speed combo that ought to give him a chance to carve out a steady role as the No. 3 or 4 guy.

Cleveland Browns
When we think of Browns receivers, we mostly think of Josh Gordon, everyone's favorite suspension candidate. It's quite clear that when Gordon isn't in trouble, he's one of the best wideouts in the game -- if not the best, period. However, he likes smoking weed -- what a villain, right? Lock him up and throw away the key! No punishment is too harsh for the egregious offense of testing positive for marijuana, right? Now, sure, it is stupid that he's done so repeatedly -- he's had millions of dollars riding on those tests. But let's all be honest with ourselves about how non-severe his crimes are. It's not like the guy's guilty of domestic abuse or assault or drunk driving -- all of which result in much shorter suspensions than Gordon's latest, which is a year and counting. He's eligible to apply for reinstatement Aug. 1; we'll see how quickly the league moves on it. Anyway, if he does return, Gordon will have an impressive complement in Corey Coleman, the No. 15 pick in this year's draft. Coleman's elite speed and athleticism make him a highly intriguing fantasy selection, albeit one who'll be highly reliant on RG3 recapturing his old form. Andrew Hawkins (hamstring) and Taylor Gabriel (leg) are nothing more than depth guys, but there's also some intrigue down the chart here -- ex-quarterback Terrelle Pryor's still trying to make it in the NFL as a receiver, and Ricardo Louis (fourth round) and Jordan Payton (fifth round) are intriguing additions from this year's draft who bear watching in preseason action.

Denver Broncos
There's no question about the status of Demaryius Thomas or Emmanuel Sanders as No. 1 and No. 2 here, but every slot after that is open for business. Jordan Norwod and Cody Latimer are in the mix, but if you ask me, Bennie Fowler is the most intriguing candidate for the third receiving slot. Unfortunately, with their quarterback situation what it is, the Broncos' No. 3 receiver isn't likely to hold much value.

Detroit Lions
With Calvin Johnson retired, Golden Tate is now the Lions' top receiver -- which, to be fair, he has been at times over the last two seasons anyway. I was always a Tate skeptic, and Matthew Stafford's struggles certainly hurt him last year (incredibly, he caught only nine fewer passes than the year before, but gained 518 fewer yards), but he's still coming off consecutive seasons of at least 90 catches and has particularly excelled with Megatron off the field. However, he's short (and not just in height) of the expectations for a No. 1 receiver. Marvin Jones is a decent second wideout, but he lacks elite speed, and then the remainder of the crew here is pretty brutal -- a mishmash of the currently injured Corey Fuller (foot), Jets castoff Jeremy Kerley, Broncos castoff Andre Caldwell, and Cardinals/Redskins castoff Andre Roberts.

Green Bay Packers
Jordy Nelson (knee) is back! That's great news for him -- and perhaps equally good news for both Aaron Rodgers and Randall Cobb, as both suffered through down seasons last year. The return of Nelson to split opposing pass defenses' attention will be huge for this offense. Davante Adams hasn't impressed yet in his first two seasons, so he'll battle it out for the No. 3 role in camp with Ty Montgomery, Jeff Janis and Jared Abbrederis.

Houston Texans
The Texans did some smart things with their passing game this offseason, including complementing breakout stud DeAndre Hopkins with No. 21 overall pick Will Fuller, who's expected to start opposite Hopkins, and adding Braxton Miller in the third round for more upside. The oft-surprising Cecil Shorts is still around too, offering his curious mix of veteran stability and inconsistent production. Finally, second-year receiver Jaelen Strong has trimmed the fat this year and could be prepared to break out. The question is whether Osweiler can support three fantasy-relevant receivers; we haven't seen that yet.

Miami Dolphins
After the way Davante Parker came on at the end of last year, I'm ready to buy in -- he could see a big surge in his second season, and it certainly doesn't hurt that he gets to play opposite Jarvis Landry, who's coming off a 110-catch season. Third-round pick Leonte Carroo is set to battle Kenny Stills for the No. 3 spot, though head coach Adam Gase already said that Stills would enjoy a bigger role in the offense this year. Of course, that was before the draft.

Minnesota Vikings
This Vikings team has an interesting crew at receiver -- they drafted a big, talented first-round pass-catcher in Laquon Treadwell to complement presumptive No. 1 receiver Stefon Diggs and solid No. 3 guy Jarius Wright. There's also intriguing depth in the occasionally useful Charles Johnson and German sixth-round draftee Moritz Boehringer, a project player who's freakishly strong and athletic. The first German "skill position" player in the NFL, he looks kind of like Eric Decker, but bigger. Remember the name.

New England Patriots
Julian Edelman (foot) is expected to be ready for camp, as is Danny Amendola (knee/ankle), and those two walking injuries are lined up to be the Pats' top two wideouts again this year. Edelman's still a PPR master when he's healthy, but Amendola's health history is even worse and he's only on the fringes of ownability, especially with the below-noted upgrade to the Pats' receiving corps. Chris Hogan arrived on a three-year deal in the offseason to be the No. 3 guy, which seems like a reasonable slot for him, and if he doesn't work out, fourth-rounder Malcolm Mitchell could earn himself some extra chances.

New York Giants
Pass-catching genius Odell Beckham returns at the top of the list, of course, but the depth chart below him is rife with turmoil. Victor Cruz (calf) is still here and could be ready for the start of the season, but he's seemingly already behind second-round rookie Sterling Shepard in the pecking order. Of course, the Giants run a lot of three-wide formations, so all three should see the field simultaneously quite a lot. Sixth-round pick Geremy Davis has good size and speed; he and Dwayne Harris would be the natural inheritors if any of those three top guys suffers an injury.

New York Jets
There's no doubt about the two top dogs here, Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, but both would be in line for significant value downgrades in the absence of Fitzpatrick or another NFL-competent quarterback. The lightning-fast, yet still-raw sophomore Devin Smith is coming off an ACL tear, so the No. 3 job is in limbo. Third-year man Quincy Enunwa will have a decent shot at that role to open the year, as he lacks stiff competition in Smith's absence. Veterans Kenbrell Thompkins and Jeremy Ross, as well as seventh-round rookie Charone Peake, make up a low-upside back end.

Philadelphia Eagles
Despite the fact that he exceeded his rookie marks in catches (85) and yards (997) last year, it had to go down as a disappointment for Jordan Matthews and his fantasy owners. He struggled through much of the middle of the season, though he did turn it on late, and the good news is that there's no one taking his No. 1 role away from him. Nelson Agholor (who's dealing with a pending legal issue that could potentially impact his status, but it's too early to say) and offseason signing Rueben Randle will compete for that No. 2 role; frankly, I'd bet on Randle, as Agholor didn't impress last year. Still, we're talking about a first-round receiver here, and that combination of pedigree and opportunity means he should be drafted all over the place.

Pittsburgh Steelers
Martavis Bryant is going the Josh Gordon route, as he's sitting on a one-year suspension for the most harmless of crimes that in no way interferes with him doing his job. That leaves Markus Wheaton occupying the No. 2 role which is less than ideal -- to this point, Wheaton really hasn't had the look of a starting receiver. He'd be a great No. 3, though, and maybe second-year man Sammie Coates will end up sliding into that No. 2 spot. Darrius Heyward-Bey is here to pick up his handful of catches too.

San Francisco 49ers
The capability of the passing attack promises to be limited by a rather unimpressive corps of receivers. Torrey Smith is the biggest name here and it wouldn't be a shock to see him get a little Chip Kelly boost, but Quinton Patton and Bruce Ellington aren't inspiring names for the No. 2 and 3 slots. It's well worth noting that this team also employs three wide receivers with the names DeAndrew White, DeAndre Smelter and DiAndre Campbell -- are you detecting a theme yet? Of them all, Smelter -- who fell to the fourth round in 2015 because of ACL surgery -- probably offers the most upside.

Tennessee Titans
There's a new weapon for Marcus Mariota in the person of Rishard Matthews, and while there will be a lot of choices in the passing game, it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see the ex-Dolphin improve significantly on the 43 catches for 662 yards he produced in Miami last year. The Titans will also be looking to second-year man Dorial Green-Beckham to build on his occasional 2015 successes and be a big red-zone weapon; he's going to be a major key to this offense. It's hard to expect much out of Kendall Wright at this point, but he does still enjoy a relatively premier role. Fifth-rounder Tajae Sharp impressed in OTAs, earning some first-team reps of his own. All in all, this will be an interesting chart to watch in camp.

TIGHT ENDS

Arizona Cardinals
Darren Fells and Jermaine Gresham will compete for looks here, but with so many receiver options and a couple pass-catching backs in the fold, don't get your hopes up for sleeper production.

Baltimore Ravens
This depth chart is quite a mess -- but maybe in a good way, like the pile of clothes in my bedroom. (Just pick a sleeve and yank -- nothing bad can come of this!) The Ravens have no fewer than four tight ends who theoretically stand a chance of holding fantasy value this season, with the caveat that it's quite possible none of them will offer significant production. We've got 35-year-old Ben Watson, who's coming off a career year spent catching balls from Drew Brees; up-and-coming red-zone threat Crockett Gillmore, who's coming off shoulder and back injuries; the highest-selected tight end in the 2015 draft, Maxx Williams, who had a distinctly unimpressive rookie year; and finally, the perennially injured Dennis Pitta, who's played seven games total in the last three seasons but is giving the comeback trail another shot. You know, now that I mention it, this does seem a lot like the pile of clothes in my room -- some are clean, some are dirty, and it's unclear when and how most of them are going to be used.

Denver Broncos
A no-name corps of Mile High tight ends is led on paper by Virgil Green, a sixth-year pro who set a career high in catches last season… with 12. Sure, that's because he's been playing the role of a blocking tight end rather than a pass-catcher, but it's hard to envision Green experiencing a full-on breakout. The once-decent Garrett Graham (49 catches in 2013, for whatever that's worth) and intriguing second-year rookie Jeff Heuerman (who missed all of last season with a torn ACL after being picked in the third round, but is now fully recovered) sit on the chart behind him. I'd bet that whoever of this trio looks the best catching balls in training camp ends up with the starting role.

Detroit Lions
Injuries and playing-time splits have limited Eric Ebron's production in his first two seasons, and he had an undisclosed injury in OTAs, but he is generally expected to start the year healthy as the Lions' unquestioned top tight end. A washed-up Brandon Pettigrew (knee) won't offer much competition.

New England Patriots
Rob Gronkowski's got company again at the top of the Pats' depth chart, as they picked up Martellus Bennett from the Bears over the offseason. There's no question here as to who's No. 1 and who's No. 2, but Bennett remains well worth drafting anyway. In case of injury, Clay Harbor's here too.

New Orleans Saints
Drew Brees has enjoyed the benefit of strong TE play as a Saint, but there's been some turnover in the last couple years, starting with Jimmy Graham leaving town before last season. Ben Watson's out too after a strong season as his replacement, but the Saints signed ex-Colt Coby Fleener this offseason. The change of scenery promises to be a good one for Fleener, who will see minimal interference from the likes of Josh Hill after four seasons of mostly splitting time with Dwayne Allen in Indy. The fact that he's arriving in an offense that has a rich history of throwing to tight ends makes Fleener a highly intriguing fantasy target.

Philadelphia Eagles
Zach Ertz and Brent Celek, both re-signed this offseason (five and three years, respectively), are in for another season of splitting/sharing duties, as the Eagles run a number of two tight end sets. The upside play is, of course, Ertz -- he set high marks in catches and yards last year, and it seems likely that he could build on those. Moreover, he's a big guy who ought to be more of a red-zone target than he has been in the past (just five TDs in the last two seasons). I'd pay the extra buck to secure his services.

Pittsburgh Steelers
After years of being in Antonio Gates' shadow in San Diego, Green comes to Pittsburgh as the presumptive top dog at tight end after inking a four-year deal in March. He does have an ankle injury, but is expected to be fine when the season rolls around. The only other pass-catching tight end on the roster is Jesse James, who caught all of eight balls as a rookie last season.

Washington Redskins
Vernon Davis has landed in the nation's capital, but he is expected to play second fiddle to Jordan Reed -- that is to say, he'll fill in when the dynamic Reed gets hurt, which has already happened (a sprained ankle in OTAs) and seems likely to happen again (no 16-game seasons yet in three years). That said, a healthy Reed is one of the game's most exciting tight ends.