The Biggest Questions for Every NFC Team as Training Camps Begin: NFL Fantasy Football Speculations

Posted on by Nafiz Labib

In training camp, it takes a while for any significant piece of news to be revealed that’s worth sharing. For the most part, guys are reporting, doing their physicals, and just generally getting settled before practices begin next week. However, managers have to answer certain calls, and have to deal with the possibilities of certain situations. With the season upcoming and fantasy football hopefuls looking at prospects, here’s a list of the biggest questions for every NFC team as training camps begin:

Arizona Cardinals: Will Kyler Murray be elite for the whole season?

Murray still has QB1 upside, but there’s more expected from him. Last year’s stagnated running numbers means that he has to rely more on his passing production, and with Deandre Hopkins suspended for the first six games of the season, he has to see if he can work well with former college teammate Marquise Brown for production.

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Atlanta Falcons: Is Kyle Pitts ready to be the first option TE?

Pitts was mostly as good as expected as a rookie, catching 68 passes for 1,026 yards, though he only scored a touchdown once.  Pitts is one of the few players with the potential to be a legitimate difference maker at tight end, and this might alter his ADP for the better.

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Carolina Panthers: What will Christian McCaffery do?

The Panthers are heavily invested in McCaffrey, as there’s no one better at what he does at RB when he’s healthy. However, his injury history is scary: he’s only played 10 games in the past 2 seasons. It’ll be interesting to figure out just what he can do this season, provided he stays healthy the whole time.

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Chicago Bears: Is Justin Fields ready to step it up?

Fields has great athleticism, but the Bears didn’t utilize it, resulting in a lackluster offense last year. Fields’ 7 passing touchdowns to 10 interceptions is not a good ratio either. Using his running alongside the Bears’ receiving roster may produce unexpected results.

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Dallas Cowboys: Who’s No.1 between Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard?

Pollard was a lot more effective with his touches than Elliott last season and could be a potential Fantasy superstar if something were to happen to Elliott. However, despite Elliott’s struggles, Pollard had double-digit carries in just three of his final 10 games. Between the two, Elliott may be the No.1 RB on the team, but it’s hard to tell for now.

Detroit Lions: Can D’Andre Swift stay healthy?

Prior to getting hurt in Week 12, Swift was on a 90-catch pace with 1,600-plus total yards, but he’s now missed time in both seasons in the NFL due to injuries. It raises the question if he can handle his workload and perform well.

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Green Bay Packers: Will any of the receivers step up?

In the wake of Davante Adams’ trade to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Packers need a receiver that can take his place for the backfield. Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins, and Christian Watson are the only players to replace, which isn’t exactly a star-studded lineup. There’s an opportunity here, but it’s entirely possible Aaron Rodgers will just spread the ball around and nobody is worth using consistently. Besides, Aaron Jones may step up and be the best receiver despite being a RB.

Los Angeles Rams: Is Cam Akers worth the risk?

There’s plenty of upside with Akers, but there’s also considerable risk. However, facing tough rush defenses, he averaged just 2.6 yards per carry in the playoffs and had just eight catches in four games. He’s a controversial player in fantasy, but only time will tell if his comeback from his ruptured Achilles is completed.

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Minnesota Vikings: Can Justin Jefferson become the No.1 WR in fantasy football?

Jefferson was No. 4 last season, though he finished more than 100 points shy of Cooper Kupp overall. Jefferson is already among the league leaders in target share, but after having double-digit targets just three times in his first eight games, he topped that mark in all but two of the final nine, putting up a 117-catch, 1,859-yard, 11-TD pace from Week 10 on. It’ll be interesting to see if he can outclass the other WRs at the top.

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New Orleans Saints: What will Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas do?

Thomas missed all of last season due to injuries, and it’s unsure if he’ll be performing at 100%. The bigger concern might be Kamara’s status. He is facing felony charges as a result of an altercation during the offseason, and with an initial hearing set for Aug. 1, it’s not clear how that will affect his availability. He’s a top-five RB in PPR leagues, but because of concerns of his availability, he might be pushed out of the first round.

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New York Giants: Will Daniel Jones step up?

Jones is three years into a career averaging 6.6 yards per attempt with a 3.5% touchdown rate. Brian Daboll, former head coach of the Buffalo Bills and now Giants, has his work cut out for him in making Daniel Jones a much better QB.

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Philadelphia Eagles: What will passing volume look like?

The Eagles attempted the fewest passes in the league last season at 494, and even that overstates how likely they were to throw the ball. After starting the season 2-5 and attempting 35 passes per game, Jalen Hurts averaged just 24 attempts per game over his final eight games while the Eagles went 6-2. Would they go away from a strategy that worked? Maybe, with the additions of A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith, but it’s hard to tell. Their volume may increase but might lag behind other teams in the league overall.

San Francisco 49ers: What will Trey Lance do with the offense?

The 49ers have many star players on offense, but they lacked passing, ranking 4th is fewest pass attempts. Trey Lance himself has good rushing ability as well, making less of an argument for more passing. Depending on what Lance does will affect the stats of other players like George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk.

Seattle Seahawks: Will this offense survive?

Kind of a big question, considering that after Russell Wilson’s trade to the Denver Broncos, his replacement Drew Lock has not been a very efficient player. It may bring down the stats of other players like D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett to the point that nobody on the team is a viable first-round pick.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Will Chris Godwin be able to play?

When he’s healthy, Godwin is an amazing wide receiver. However, he’s come from an ACL surgery, and based on the average time it takes for a WR to come back to play, he might be absent for much of the regular season, meaning the offense will be more reliant on players like Mike Evans and Julio Jones, who are good players in their own right.

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Washington Commanders: Can Antonio Gibson step it up?

Gibson was less efficient as a runner than in his rookie season and he didn’t improve as a pass-catching option, leading to a somewhat disappointing second season. With J.D McKissic coming back after failed attempts for trades, Gibson has more competition to face. Gibson did see his targets per game jump from 3.0 to 4.6 when McKissic was out last season, so it’s not like they’re totally unwilling to use him that way. His upside is still in question, however.

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