Fantasy Football: The 4 Most Important Wide Receiver Battles to Watch in Training Camp

Training camps are underway across the NFL, giving us a sneak peek of what teams will look like once the regular season kicks off. This is the time of year where players compete for larger roles and roster spots on their respective teams.

There are a few teams who currently have wide receiver rooms that have yet to be determined. Deciphering the WR1 for teams with uncertainty at the position can be a massive difference-maker in fantasy football.

With clips of coaches speaking to the media and players making plays in practice, here are four of the most important wide receiver training camp battles to pay attention to for fantasy football.

Wide Receiver Training Camp Battles to Watch for 2024

Buffalo Bills

Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, and Khalil Shakir

It goes without saying that catching passes from Josh Allen can certainly make you fantasy-relevant. Upon trading Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans, the Buffalo Bills are hoping their combination of rookie Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, and Khalil Shakir can replace his lost production at receiver.

The Bills used the 33rd overall pick in this year's draft on Coleman, who tallied 11 receiving touchdowns and 1.74 yards per route run in his final season at Florida State, via PFF. The fact Coleman never eclipsed 800 receiving yards in any of his three collegiate seasons has many wondering if he's ready to take on an expanded role in the NFL.

Across 16 games with the Washington Commanders last season, Samuel logged a 16.3% target share and 1.59 yards per route run, per NextGenStats. Meanwhile, Shakir notched an impressive 2.06 yards per route run despite having just a 49.3% route rate a season ago.

According to FantasyPros' consensus average draft position (ADP) for half-PPR scoring, Coleman is typically the first wideout taken from the Bills with an ADP of 118.0 (WR45). Samuel isn't too far behind with an ADP of 129.0 (WR50) while Shakir is holding an ADP of 139.3 (WR52).

Green Bay Packers

Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks

Jordan Love flashed plenty of potential down the stretch last season, which has many expecting the offense of the Green Bay Packers to take another step forward in 2024-25. The one issue with Green Bay's offense -- for fantasy football purposes -- is the fact they have quite a few capable receivers with Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks all commanding snaps.

Of the bunch, it was Reed who was WR23 in fantasy points per game (11.6) in half-PPR formats last year with a team-best 2.15 yards per route run. Watson has missed 11 games in his first two seasons, but a 16.3 average depth of target and 33.6% air yards share a season ago are exactly why he's an enticing option in a Love-led passing attack.

While Doubs finished as the overall WR37 in 2023-24, he found the end zone eight times, which may not be sustainable considering the competition at the position. Wicks appears to be a sleeper at the receiver position after posting a fantastic 2.14 yards per route run despite seeing just an 11.7% target share last season.

The ADPs are spread out for Green Bay's wideouts, with Reed leading the way with an ADP of 80.7 (WR34), and Watson following with an ADP of 105.3 (WR44). There is a solid gap between Reed/Watson and Doubs/Wicks as Doubs has an ADP of 152.3 (WR55) while Wicks comes in with an ADP of 165.7 (WR65).

Los Angeles Chargers

Ladd McConkey, Josh Palmer, and Quentin Johnston

The Los Angeles Chargers could deploy a more physical ground game with Jim Harbaugh at head coach, which has led to deflated ADPs for the pass-catchers on the roster. Even with Harbaugh now manning the sideline, at least one of Ladd McConkey, Josh Palmer, and Quentin Johnston can be relevant in fantasy with Justin Herbert under center.

McConkey was the 34th overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, and he finished with a stellar 3.26 yards per route run and 16.1 yards per reception despite being limited to nine games in his final year at Georgia. Of the players on the Chargers who was active for 10-plus games last season, Palmer had the second-highest target share (17.2%), second-highest air yards share (25.6%), and the second-most yards per route run (1.86).

Johnston is an interesting player to discuss as his rookie campaign was a disaster a season ago, finishing with a mere 10.9% target share and 0.94 yards per route run despite being taken in the first round of last year's draft. If Johnston continues to struggle to adjust to the NFL, veteran D.J. Chark could push him to a strictly reserve role in the offense.

Many seem to expect McConkey to emerge as the No. 1 option for Herbert as he holds an ADP of 101.7 (WR43). On the other hand, Palmer boasts an ADP of 159.7 (WR61), and Johnston has an ADP of 165.5 (WR71).

New England Patriots

Ja'Lynn Polk, Demario Douglas, and Javon Baker

It remains to be seen if Jacoby Brissett or rookie Drake Maye is the starting quarterback in Week 1 for the New England Patriots. Regardless of who is under center for the Patriots, determining the WR1 between Ja'Lynn Polk, Demario Douglas, and Javon Baker could be valuable in fantasy football.

Polk was the 37th overall selection in this year's draft, and he's coming off a season where he accrued 69 receptions, 1,159 receiving yards, and 9 receiving touchdowns at Washington. The Patriots would then double-dip at the receiver position by taking Baker in the fourth round after he produced a fantastic 21.9 yards per reception and 3.21 yards per route run on a 17.1 average depth of target in his final year at UCF.

Douglas emerged as a somewhat reliable option for the Pats a season ago, earning a 22.1% target share, 25.0% air yards share, and 1.63 yards per route run from Week 7 to Week 18. With Kendrick Bourne recovering from a torn ACL and JuJu Smith-Schuster seeing his production decline, Douglas could maintain a role in New England's aerial attack.

What makes the receivers from the Patriots enticing is the fact they all carry an ADP of 174.0 or later. Polk leads the way with an ADP of 174.0 (WR73), Douglas is right behind with a 179.5 ADP (WR74), and Baker becomes an interesting choice with an ADP of 231.0 (WR85).

Take your sports betting to the next level with the FanDuel Parlay Hub! Explore a curated selection of popular parlays for trending games on FanDuel Sportsbook. Learn about today’s other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

Looking for the latest NFL odds? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook and check out all of the NFL betting options.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.