Fantasy Football: Will Justin Fields or Russell Wilson Win the Steelers' Starting Job?

Training camp battles are often a hot topic around fantasy football during this time of year. Position battles have yet to be resolved on most teams with training camps ramping up over the last week. Some battles even extend until after preseason contests have concluded.

For fantasy football, gauging these battles are vital. Per usual, there are plenty of ongoing battles between quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends that will surely have big impacts on drafts.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the most notable battles between Justin Fields and Russell Wilson for the starting quarterback spot. Fields finished as QB6 in half-PPR leagues in 2022, and Wilson has had his fair share of exceptional fantasy seasons over his 12-year career, including a QB6 finish in 2020.

Each player holds the potential to surpass what we've seen in Pittsburgh over the last few seasons, such as Kenny Pickett holding down QB31 in 2023.

FantasyPros' average draft position (ADP) proves this a tight race as Wilson is QB28 while Fields is QB31. Let's dive into the training camp battle, potentially circling which QB is gearing up to win this battle and provide value at their current ADP.

Justin Fields vs. Russell Wilson Training Camp Battle

Fields' Potential Lies On the Ground

Before diving into the actual battle, let's look at each player's fantasy potential, starting with the young buck who has more recent fantasy success.

Fields was an asset in 2022 thanks to his elite rushing numbers. Lamar Jackson is the only other signal-caller in the league that is on Fields' level as a scrambler.

Fields set a single-game regular season rushing record with 178 rushing yards in 2022, surpassing Michael Vick's 173 yards from 2002. He would finish the 2022 campaign with 1,143 rushing yards -- the second-most ever behind Jackson's 1,206 in 2019 -- and eight rushing touchdowns on 7.1 yards per attempt.

According to PlayerProfiler, Fields had the second-most carries, the second-most red zone carries, and the most rushing yards per game at his position for 2022.

While the rushing potential is as clear as day, we can't overlook Fields' glaring weaknesses. His efficiency as a passer has always been inconsistent. He certainly has talent and potential -- proven by scouting reports and above average deep ball accuracy ratings in back-to-back seasons (ninth in 2023).

Still, Fields' passing has been mostly flawed. In 2022, he finished 20th in expected points added (EPA) and 23rd in air yards. It was more of the same in 2023, holding the same rankings for EPA and air yards. He would also total -0.10 EPA per drop back (EPA/db) in 2023.

Due to underwhelming numbers through the air, there's little room for error for Fields on the ground. He saw his yards per carry drop from 7.1 to 5.3 last season while recording four fewer touchdowns. His 657-yard rushing total paled in comparison to 2022's 1,143-yard total.

Fields would play two fewer games than 2022 due to a thumb injury and finished as QB18, coming up short of his QB7 ADP.

Not all things are rainbows and sunshine for Fields' fantasy value. There's a reason the Chicago Bears moved on. His passing game leaves a lot left to be desired, meaning his rushing ability is the clear advantage for Fields' fantasy value.

Wilson Shows Shades of Former Self

Wilson is about as accomplished as it gets for a veteran quarterback, holding nine Pro Bowl bids while wearing a Super Bowl ring.

Back in the day with the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson was one of the top dogs for fantasy QBs. He produced eight consecutive top-10 finishes in fantasy. This production disappeared like Casper when he moved to the Denver Broncos, though.

Wilson was QB16 in 2022 followed by QB14 last season. He fell below his QB10 ADP in 2022 but delivered some value finishing above his QB18 ADP last season.

With -0.10 EPA/db in 2023, Wilson provided pretty much the same efficiency as a passer as Fields. Keep in mind that Wilson finished with the sixth-highest EPA in his last top-10 fantasy season (2020). He's finished outside the top 13 in EPA over the last two seasons; it's hard to trust the veteran quarterback at this point.

We did see improvement in Wilson's final season in Denver, though. He increased his passing touchdown total by 10 while decreasing his interception count by 3. Plus, Wilson rose the 60.5% completion percentage to 66.4% -- his best since 2020.

The advanced metrics urge the same message. Wilson ranked 21st in fantasy points per drop back and 18th in fantasy points per game in 2022 compared to 9th and 12th last season. Plus, he held impressive marks in true completion percentage (ninth), pressured completion percentage (third), and red zone completion percentage (sixth). Wilson was outside the top 20 in all three stats for the 2022 season.

Unlike Fields, Wilson took a step in the right direction last season. The Steelers have to take priority in Wilson's ability as a passer or invest into Fields legs.

With each player's stats laid out, let's jump into the actual training camp battle.

Which One Has the Edge?

Early into camp, we don't have much on the position battle.

Various depth chart projections are leaning with Wilson as the starter. Some are claiming Wilson has the most pressure among all AFC quarterbacks in the upcoming season.

As the former franchise quarterback, Wilson should have the early advantage, especially with a Super Bowl win under his belt. All we can do is speculate right now as beat reporter Mike DeFabo did on 93.7 The Fan, circling Fields' processing as a potential problem in this QB battle.

Regardless of how this shakes out, each signal-caller is holding great value at their current ADP. Of course, this will greatly shift once we learn who is starting, but who knows how long that will stay ambiguous? As previously mentioned, some of these battles can even extend up until the final days before the season-opening week.

Don't expect either signal-caller to tap back into their top-10 fantasy finishes, though. The Steelers still have a poor offense, ranking as numberFire's eighth-worst schedule-adjusted unit for 2024.

There will likely be few scoring opportunities for either QB as the offense scored only 17.8 points per game (PPG) in 2023 (fifth-fewest). Plus, Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranked the receiving corps as the league's sixth-worst unit.

Remember, Diontae Johnson went to the Carolina Panthers, leaving the room to George Pickens, Van Jefferson, and Roman Wilson. Pickens sits as the clear alpha dog, but his ADP is still only WR28, and he has yet to surpass five touchdowns in a season.

FantasyPros' ADP is giving Wilson a little more value as he's three spots ahead of Fields. numberFire's projections are in the same boat, ranking Wilson as QB26 versus Fields as QB36.

As of now, Wilson looks to be the presumed starter. However, Fields could possess more fantasy football upside thanks to his legs. Pittsburgh has a weak receiving unit, capping Wilson's potential as a passer. Fields, on the other hand, can provide more value by creating on his own, generating success on the ground.

Wilson is clear the pick across fantasy drafts right now, but managers could have their fingers crossed for Fields to win the job due to his past elite rushing numbers. He could be worth stashing in deeper leagues even if he loses the battle, too.

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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.